A Bond Like Brothers
by HipsterMaybe
Summary: A collection of one shots mostly centered around Steve and Danny. No slash, just a combination of my two favorite things: bromance and whump. Maybe some humor thrown in depending on the story. I own nothing but the plot I came up with. Enjoy! These ideas are mostly taken from This One's For The Readers!
1. What Are Partners For?

**Ok, so I'm working on the next chapters for Jersey Style and Nalowale Kane, but they're taking a while to get just right. I have a little time to write right now, but not much so I decided this is just going to be a collection of short little one shots of my two favorite things: bromance and whump. Enjoy!**

**Summary: Even off duty, trouble always manages to find Five-0. A dangerous situation has Danny's life hanging in the balance.**

"Danny!" a voice yelled from far away. It sounded fuzzy and distorted, almost as if it had come from the end of a very long tunnel. Whose voice was that? He knew that he should know. "Danny! Danny, come on buddy. Kono! Where's that ambulance?" the voice said again. Nothing made any sense to him. Seeing that listening was getting him no closer to figuring things out, he decided to concentrate on his other senses. He found he couldn't smell much of anything, but he could taste a vile copper flavor on his tongue that made him want to gag. He couldn't feel any pain, but he could feel hot, sticky, _something_ running down his face and pooling beneath his head. But he just could not figure out what it was.

"Danny, if you can hear me, I need you to open your eyes." The voice begged.

"Steve, he can't breathe! His nose is broken and he's choking on the blood!" A scared voice of a woman exclaimed. Next thing he knew, he was being bodily lifted into a new position. With the motion came pain. It flared as a white hot spike in his head and he wanted to scream.

"Come on, Danny. That's it." Someone coached. Danny…what was Danny? The pain was unbearable, yet he could feel something else happening as well. It was suddenly very cold and his face started to feel numb. And then he was trapped. He knew he was moving, but he had no control over it.

"He's seizing!" another voice yelled.

"No, Danny! Don't do this, brother! Stay with me!" But he couldn't. He just let it all fade away.

H

5

0

Steve was beyond exhausted. The last few days had been a physical and emotional roller coaster. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing that day. They were now stiff with dried blood. Danny's blood. It had been a quick run to the bank after work to deposit their pay checks. Suddenly, five men dressed in black and Halloween masks had burst through the doors brandishing their guns at the terrified people. The robbers had instantly recognized Five-0 for who they were and had forced them to come down to the vaults with them. One of them had set a charge on the vault door, but before it could be detonated, each highly competent task force member lashed out with all of their strength, thus freeing themselves from their captors. In the confusion of the fight, one of the men had managed to get the detonator. Steve saw this, but he was a fraction of a second too late. He tackled the man moments after he pressed the button. Their world dissolved in into heat and noise. When he could think again, he was flat on his back near the far wall. Quickly, he cuffed his suspect.

"Report!" he called out hoarsely, waiting desperately for his teammates to respond.

"I'm good!" Chin called.

"Same here!" Kono replied as she coughed up dust. The third voice never sounded.

"Danny?" Steve called. No one answered. As Chin and Kono cuffed the other suspects, Steve staggered through the haze of dust, calling his partner's name. He had almost stepped on the soot blackened hand that led him to Danny. His eyes followed the hand back to its owner and nearly lost his lunch at this sight of his friend. "Danny! Kono, call an ambulance! Chin, help me with this." Immediately, he was joined by the other two. They both gasped in horror at the sight of Danny being crushed beneath the vault door that had blown off its hinges. The struggled futilely with the heavy door for a moment, but Kono returned from the bank lobby with four burley men. Together, they were able to lift it off of Danny. The detective's face was a mess. His nose was obviously broken and his jaw looked dislocated. A large cut ran from his hairline down to his eyebrow and blood poured from it steadily. The man was nearly unrecognizable with his face so bruised, bloody, and swollen. Steve was by Danny's side in an instant, checking for a pulse that was miraculously still there. After that, it was all a bit of a blur. Things got worse before the paramedics arrived. When they did, Steve was not allowed into the ambulance and they sped off without him. Now, four days later, he sat beside Danny in the hospital. His nose had been straightened and his jaw had been popped back into place. The cut had been bandaged and the blood had been cleaned away. All that remained were the bruises. Danny's entire body was one large bruise, from his head to his feet. Stark, white gauze swathed Danny's head, covering the hole that had been drilled to relieve the pressure from the bleeding. The doctors said they were optimistic, but Steve just couldn't believe that until his partner opened his eyes and reassured him.

"You gotta wake up man. I'm going crazy out here without you. And Gracie…she's a mess, pal. You better get up and tell her it's okay. I know this is hard and I know I'm asking too much of you, but please. I need you to fight this for me. Come back, Danno. Please." Steve begged, taking Danny's hand between his own two and squeezing it. "Please, Danny." To his surprise, the previously limp fingers returned the pressure with a weak grip. "Danny? You with me, buddy?" Danny said nothing, but his eyes twitched beneath his lids and his grip tightened. "That's it, just a little more. Can you do that for me?" After a moment, two bright blue eyes blinked open. "Mornin' Danno." Steve said, smiling for the first time in days. Danny said nothing, but frowned as his eyes raked over Steve.

"Blood?" he asked finally.

"This is yours, buddy. I'm okay." Steve assured him.

"Don' look 'kay." Danny retorted. "S'wrong?" he asked.

"I'm good, Danno. I promise. Just tired, is all. I've been sitting here waiting for you to wake up."

"M-me? Wha' 'appened?"

"Do you remember going to the bank after work?" Danny nodded carefully.

"Do you remember the hold up?" Danny shook his head.

"That's okay. These guys came in and held up the bank. They knew we were Five-o, so they took us down to the vault. We managed to subdue them, but one guy blew the vault door off and it hit you. You were in pretty bad shape. The doctors say you have a broken right femur, six broken ribs, a broken nose, a dislocated jaw, and the one helluva concussion as well as some internal bleeding. They had to drill into your head and drain some of the blood so it didn't crush your brain." Steve explained. Danny blew out a breath.

"I…be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't worry buddy. We'll get you through this. Docs say that confusion and slurred speech are normal and should go away shortly. You'll get better and I'll be there every step of the way to make sure you are."

"Thank you." Danny whispered, his eyes slightly watery.

"Of course, Danny. What are partners for?"

**The End! Time to go take my puppy to the vet. Their comes a time in many male dog's life when…well, you know. Poor little guy has no idea.**


	2. A Brother's Advice

**Here we go with one shot number two! First off, I want to make sure you all know a few things. 1) You're awesome. I seriously love all of you! And 2) If you like one of my stories and think it's too short or want to do your own thing with it, I'm totally cool with that! In fact, I would love to see it! **

**Summary: One member of Five-0 is trapped and air is running out quickly. Injury, boredom, and thinning air are the only company there. Will the team find them in time?**

A few bars of a Journey song floated through his head and he wanted with all his heart to hum along. He needed something, _anything_ to break the tedium before he lost it, but he stopped himself. The rational part of his brain knew that he had precious little air and he had to conserve what he had. He was already limiting himself to one breath every five minutes. _Hell week sure didn't train me for this_, Steve thought. His head was pounding and he longed to gulp down the putrid air, but again, he restrained himself. Danny was coming, he told himself. They'd find him soon and everything would be alright. The devil on his shoulder barked out a short, harsh laugh. It had been twelve hours according to his watch. By his estimates, the space he was in could only hold sixteen hours' worth of air. Another sharp spike of pain speared through his legs and he gasped sharply. Once he could think past the pain, he mentally berated himself for forgetting to ration his air. He felt that after twelve hours beneath the rocks, he should be used the pain. After the mine had collapsed around him, the rocks from above had fallen onto his body. When he had first come to, Steve had tried to free himself, but he soon realized that it was a futile endeavor. His legs were broken and the pressure of the rocks was probably the only thing keeping his pain from becoming unbearable. He knew that as soon as full blood flow was reestablished in his legs, the pain would make itself known. He just hoped he's be either unconscious or on morphine by that point. He sighed inwardly. If he had just listened to Danny, maybe he wouldn't be in this situation. His partner had told him since the case began with a body just outside the mine to be careful. Danny had warned him that these things were old and abandoned, but Steve had brushed off the comments. Danny was too safety conscious and he had chaffed at the fact that Danny seemed to forget that he knew about these mines too. So he had returned to the mine, alone, to search for the murder weapon he was sure was hidden in there. If only he'd told someone where he was going. Hours passed and the air was becoming thinner with each measured breath. He was certain that he was almost out of oxygen by now. Steve could actually feel his heart beat slowing, his body shutting down. No one was coming. No one even knew he was here. He was going to die here, all alone.

_Come on, Steve. Don't you give up on me that easy_, Danny's voice whispered in his ear. With some effort, he opened his eyes, expecting to find his partner and hopefully a paramedic or two crouching next to him, but the hollow was just as empty as before. He was about to close his eyes again when Danny spoke up.

_Nuh uh, Steven. Eyes open. Help's comin', but you gotta stay with me. You stay awake, ya hear?_

"Danny?" Steve croaked weakly.

_Shhhhh, save your air, you big goof. It's not really me. I'm inside your head. Your inner-Danny, or your voice of reason, as I like to call it._

"Glad you're here. Don' wanna die alone." Steve admitted feebly.

_Hey, what did I just tell you about conserving your oxygen, huh? If you die, I die pal. Now come on, help's almost here, so just stay awake._ Steve wanted to tell 'inner-Danny' or whatever this was that no one was coming for them and that it was too late, but he remembered the stern warnings from before.

_You know I'm part of you, right? And that I can hear your thoughts? Help IS coming. Yes, you made a stupid mistake, but by now I've realized you're gone and give me some credit. It's no secret that you wanted to come back here. _Steve's spirit lifted a little at these words, but then fell as soon as he realized he would be dead by the time they found him. He must've blacked out for a few minutes because he awoke to inner-Danny's shouts in his ear.

_HEY! WAKE THE HELL UP! You are not quitting on me! Listen, do you hear that? _Steve strained his ears carefully and sure enough, he could hear muffled shouts and calls from beyond the rocks that sealed him in. _Here's what you're gonna do. I know the air is thin, but you need to call out as loud as you can. They need to know where to look._ Steve nodded.

"Hello?" he called, his voice little more than a whisper.

_Seriously? You're gonna need to try harder than that. My grandmother is louder that you and she's dead._ Steve rolled his eyes and tried again after clearing his throat.

"Hello? Danny? Somebody, please!" He croaked.

_Good. That's better. Now louder! Those voices are getting closer._

"Help! Help, please! Danny! Can anyone hear me? Hello?" Steve heard the scuff of boots outside pause for a minute. He tried to call out again, but the air was gone.

"-top! Thin-…heard –thing." Snatches of Danny's voice floated through the rocks and Steve was sure it was the real Danny. "Steve! Steve, you in there?" He tried to make a sound, but it was just so damn hard. "If you're in there, I need you to make a sound, buddy."

_Come on, Steve. One last time. You can do this._

"Danny..." was all he could manage in a weird sort of strangled whisper, but it was enough.

"He's in here! Hurry!" The rocks were cleared away quickly. Blackness had nearly taken over his vision by the time they made it through. "Steve!" Danny yelled, rushing to his partner's side and falling to his knees. His fingers immediately flew to Steve's neck and he nearly cried in relief when he felt a weak pulse flutter beneath his fingertips. "Get me that oxygen! He's not breathing." Moments later, a mask was fixed over Steve's mouth and nose. "Come on, take a breath, Steve." Finally, his chest spasmed and he gulped in the cool, clean oxygen. "That's it, buddy. We gotcha. You're gonna be okay. We'll get these rocks off you soon, so you just keep breathing." Danny soothed as he rubbed slow circles on Steve's chest.

H

5

0

He awoke to the uncomfortable itch of a nasal cannula beneath his nose. He went to bat it away, but his hand was intercepted.

"Woah, buddy. Let's keep that on, okay? You still need that."

"Danny?" Steve whispered, his voice like nails on a chalk board. Danny winced at the sound.

"Here." He said kindly, holding a cup of water with a straw to his mouth. Steve sucked it down greedily then sunk back into his pillows. "How ya feelin'?" Danny asked.

"Okay. What's the damage?"

"Nearly all the bones in your right leg were broken and a good chunk of the ones in your left were too. Good news is the doctor said they'll heal and rehab just fine. Bad news is you'll need to be in a cast for at least two months, maybe more, and you'll need to be in a wheelchair." Steve blew out his cheeks, not at all happy with restrictions, but grateful to at least be alive. "You'll be on oxygen probably for the rest of the day since your body is so deprived of it. You're also on IV fluids, you were pretty dehydrated, but again, the docs say you'll make a full recovery. God, Steve, you scared the hell out of us."

"I'm sorry. I was stupid."

"Eh, I'm just glad you're alive."

"So, aren't you going to say it?" Steve asked after a moment.

"Say what?" Danny asked.

"'I told you so'. "

"I figure you know already. Next time, just listen to me, alright? We almost lost you."

"You got it buddy. From now on, I am Mr. Safety."

"Pshh, yeah right. Like that'll ever happen. Ten bucks says you're rolling your wheelchair down a ramp within two weeks." Steve gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. "So, how exactly did you survive? If it were me in there, I would've cracked up." Danny asked.

"I had help." Steve stated simply.

"Help? Babe, you were alone. It was just you down there."

"Yes and no. When I was about to give up, I heard your voice in my head, telling me not to give up. You said you were my 'inner-Danny' or voice of reason and basically gave me the kick in the ass I needed to stay alive."

"Inner-Danny? Let me tell you something. I don't know who this inner-Danny is, but he's obviously been slacking. Why hasn't he chosen to speak up before now, huh? Would've saved me a lot of grief." Steve merely laughed, enjoying the company of the man he had come to regard as a brother.

**The End. I'm tired now, so goodnight guys! I need to get my beauty sleep since the wedding is in less than a week! Aaaaahhhhh! I'm so excited.**


	3. Carguments

**Just got my mani-pedi for the wedding done! I don't usually do that, so I have to admit, it felt weird to have someone playing with my feet and hands for an hour. On the upside, they look great! We got our puppy, Luke, the most adorable little collar with a bow tie since he's going to walk with our little ring bearer down the aisle. They just look so handsome together! I can't believe it! Four days until the wedding and I could not be happier!**

**Summary: Steve and Danny are abducted and locked in a trunk together. Bromance and carguments ensue with a side of whump. No real plot, but definite Steve and Danny friendship.**

"Why me? Why me, of all people, Steven, did you choose me to be your partner?"

"Come on, Danny. It's not that bad. We'll get out of this, you'll see."

"Not that bad? We are locked in the trunk of a car. Our hands and feet are zip-tied. You're insanely large body is taking up nearly all the room and, oh, did I mention, you are literally in my face right now?!" Danny ranted angrily.

"Hey, at least it's not the other way. It would be awkward and people _would_ talk." Steve joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh ha ha. This is just so funny to you, isn't it? God, you get off on this kind of thing, don't you? Why couldn't I have a normal partner?"

"Danny, I got us into this and I will get us out, I promise."

"Yeah, alright. I don't suppose there's one of those convenient trunk escape handles in here."

"Nope. This car's too old for that."

"Damn. Well, see if you can kick out the tail light."

"Good idea. Gimme a sec…I just gotta-"

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're sticking that thing!"

"Sorry, man. This thing's tiny."

"You're not the one squished in the back." Danny grouched.

"How many times do I have to apologize, Danno?"

"I'd say a lot more! I was supposed to pick Grace up hours ago and she's probably thinking I forgot about our special night."

"Again, I really am sorry. I didn't think this would happen. I promise I'll explain everything to Gracie."

"Fine. Now would ya just kick out the light already?"

"I'm doing it! Jeeez…touchy."

"Don't…don't even start with me Steve." Steve grinned, then pulled his legs back. Putting all of his considerable force behind the kick, he struck the tail light housing and felt it give way. The cool Hawaiian breeze washed over them a moment later and they breathed out a sigh of relief. Steve readjusted himself enough so he could stick the toes of his boots out of the small hole, giving the passing cars even more reason to call it in. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of approaching sirens.

"Here comes the cavalry." Steve said triumphantly.

"Let's just hope it's for us." A moment later, a voice over a megaphone boomed out orders.

"Driver of the black Ford Telstar, pull over now!" an officer demanded.

"Yup, that's us." Steve confirmed. The car fishtailed, as though the driver was weaving through traffic.

"What the hell?" Danny asked. Suddenly, the driver slammed on the breaks, smashing Danny's skull against the hard back of the trunk.

"Danny?" Steve asked. When he got no response, he reached out with his bound hands and shook his partner gently. "Danny, can you hear me?" Nothing. The car was moving again and within seconds, Steve felt hot, sticky blood running down the trunk floors. He glanced down and saw the red liquid seeping from what he guessed was a wound in the back of Danny's head.

"Shit, come on Danny. Wake up." He begged, shaking him a little harder, but Danny was out for the count. Steve swore again. The car was old and practically stripped down to the frame. The hard metal and screws behind Danny must've hit him pretty hard.

"Driver of the black Ford Telstar, pull over now!" the voice demanded again. The driver sped up and began to dodge cars once again. Suddenly, Steve felt the rear left tire blow out and the car's back end careened off to the side, smashing into another car. A fraction of a second later, Steve's head met the same fate as his partner's.

H

5

0

Steve groaned as consciousness returned to him. The first thing he noticed was the pounding headache reminiscent of the worst hangover he'd ever had.

"Hey, boss. You with us?" Kono's voice asked. With some effort, Steve managed to open his eyes.

"Chin. Kono. What happened. Wha's goin' on? Where's Danny?"

"Whoa, slow down Steve. Take it easy. It's okay. You took quite a nasty bump to the head, but you'll be fine."

"Wait…Danny and I…we were…in the trunk of a car." Steve recalled. Chin nodded encouragingly. "The driver started going all over the place when the police caught up. Danny hit his head and I think I did too. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. He's got one hell of a concussion, but the doctors are saying that there's no bleeding or swelling and his skull's intact."

"Is he awake?" Steve demanded. Kono shook her head.

"No, he's been out this whole time too. See?" she said, gesturing to the second bed in the room that Steve hadn't even noticed before. Before Chin and Kono could stop him, he was stumbling out of bed, tripping on sheets and ripping out his IV line in the process, and bolting for Danny's bed.

"Steve! Hey! What are you doing? Be careful!" Kono yelled, but her scolding fell on deaf ears. Steve made it Danny's bed and collapsed in the chair next to it.

"Danno? Can you hear me?" he asked, trying to rouse his partner. Danny's hand twitched. "That's it buddy, rise and shine."

"Mmmpphh, go 'way, Steven." Steve laughed.

"Come on, buddy. Open your eyes."

"Don' wanna. My head hurts and it's most definitely your fault. I don't know how, but it is." This time, they all laughed.

"Well, it is _partially_ my fault, but you can't make me take all the blame."

"Can and will." Danny mumbled.

"Seriously, Danny. Open your eyes. I need to see if you're okay." Something in Steve's tone made Danny pause and grudgingly flicker his eyes open. It took a minute, but he was finally able to focus on Steve, who looked absolutely awful.

"S'wrong with you? Why you covered in blood?" Danny asked, taking in the hospital gown and bloody arm.

"He is covered in blood" Chin began, bringing over a piece of gauze and placing it on Steve's arm. "because once he found out you were in the room, he went nuts and jumped out of bed while still connected to his IV."

"Seriously, babe?" Danny asked, raising as eyebrow.

"What? I had to make sure you were okay!" Steve defended. Danny laughed.

"I'm fine, ya big goof. Head hurts, but judging by the fact that I've only got one IV and I'm not in the ICU for once, I'll be okay."

"Well that is good. I'm sorry I got us into that mess."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Just let me drive for a week and we're even."

"Hmmm, I don't know, Danno…"

"It's my car!"

**Short, with no real plot, but it works. And yes, I will try to update Nalowale Kane and Jersey style before the wedding. We won't be going on a long honeymoon since we just took a big vacation to Europe, so I won't be gone too long. **


	4. Happy Gas

**Well, tomorrow Mitch and I have our Bachelor/Bachelorette parties. Should be fun! Neither of us drink, nor do our friends, so at least we won't have any hangovers to deal with and will actually remember our parties. I think my brother's taking Mitch and his buddies out to some cabin where they'll be ice fishing. They left a few hours ago. Is it bad that I miss him already? I have no idea what my friend Lana has planned for my party, but I trust her. Ahhh, just three days until we're officially married!**

**Summary: What do you get when you drug Steve and Danny?**

"You're stupid." Steve said grumpily, poking Danny in the nose. "But, you're my best buddy." He added, laughing.

"Aww, you're my buddy too! Even if you're a Neanderthal animal." They looked at each other very seriously for a minute, then burst out laughing.

"You know, maybe being kidnapped by an insane dentist isn't all bad." Steve reasoned.

"Agreed, partner!" Danny exclaimed, giving Steve a high five and a cheesy smile. They started laughing harder, the chairs they were strapped to tipping dangerously.

"Whoo, I'm a bit dizzy." Steve giggled.

"No, you're a dizzy." Danny replied.

"That doesn't make sense, Danno."

"Uh huh!"

"I think you got a concussion is what I think."

"I think you're stupid."

"Hey, that's my line!"

"We're partners. We can share." Steve suggested. They both broke out laughing again, inhaling more and more of the nitrous oxide as they did so.

"Ugg, Danny said after a moment, putting his head between his legs. "I don't feel so good."

"Me neither. I don't like this stuff anymore." They both looked up at each other, and burst out laughing once more.

"Hey Steve, did you know your arm's still bleeding?"

"Is it? That's kind of a pretty color, don't ya think?"

"Yeah, I like red."

"It's a good color."

"Like ladybugs."

"Ladybugs are good." Steve agreed.

"They just kind of fly around…like buzzzzzzz."

"Yeah and they go on flowers and do the pollinimation thing."

"Pollinimation?"

"It's a real word." Steve defended.

"It can be whatever it wants to be."

"That's deep, man." Without warning, the laughter returned and this time they were unable to stop. They hardly noticed when the door was kicked off its hinges and Chin and Kono, dressed in Kevlar and carrying guns, rushed into the room.

"Steve! Danny! You guys okay?" Chin yelled.

"We are awesome!" Steve giggled.

"Totally peachy!" Danny agreed. The cousins shared a look, then noticed the tank of laughing gas in the corner with the nozzle wide open. Quickly, they stopped breathing and pulled their team mates from the room. Once out of the gas, they gulped in fresh air and began untying Steve and Danny.

"Are you guys okay?" Chin tried again.

"Oh, he has a concussion." Steve stated happily.

"And his arm's bleeding a lot." Danny added just as joyfully.

"You guys are high on laughing gas, aren't you?"

"Yup." They agreed in unison, then promptly fell into a fit of giggling. Once they had been freed, they were helped into a standing position.

"Okay boys. Just lean on us and we'll get you out of here." Kono instructed.

"Where we goin', kiddo?" Steve asked. She rolled her eyes at the affectionate nickname.

"We are going to the hospital to get you two checked out and hopefully sobered up."

"Sounds good to me." Danny said with a smile, before passing out. Steve followed a moment later.

H

5

0

"So…we were high." Steve stated.

"On laughing gas." Danny added.

"Mmmhhhmmmm. I've seen stoners be more coherent than you guys." Chin replied.

"Damn…you did get that nutso dentist, right?" Danny asked.

"Oh yeah." Kono smiled. "He was putting the teeth he pulled form his victims into this life sized doll's mouth when we found him. Talk about creepy."

"So, how bad did we embarrass ourselves?"

"Not too bad. You passed out before we could get anything useful out of you." Chin joked.

"Oh haha, Chin Ho." Steve said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm just glad I don't remember any of this. Except for ladybugs. For some reason, that's been running through my mind non-stop since I woke up." Danny mention.

"Yeah, what's with that?" Steve agreed.

**Well, not really any whump, but just some silly bromance. I miss Mitch. At least I've got Luke with me. **


	5. Always

**Well, Mitch and I are home from our bachelor/bachelorette parties. I missed him. Like, a lot. My girl's treated me to a day of awesome food at my friend Alison's restaurant, then a wonderful spa day, and finally, we went sledding. That's right. Seven grown women. Sledding. Down a giant hill. It was so much fun! Mitch and I are now defrosting with some hot chocolate and a warm puppy. Ah, life if is good! I hope to finish Nalowale Kane and put out at least another chapter of Jersey Style by Thursday evening, but no promises. Sorry!**

**Summary: What would Steve do for his partner? Just how far would he go to save the man who has become like a brother to him, even if that man was ready to give up himself?**

"That's it. Lean on me, Danno. You're doing great." Steve kept up a litany of encouraging words, hoping it was doing at least something for his partner. Danny never replied, not that he could. Steve was amazed that the man was even conscious at this point. He tried not to cringe as he felt the blood from Danny's wound soaking into his shirt and spreading across his own body. So much blood…

Danny stumbled again, this time breaking into a painful coughing fit that ended with blood flecking his lips.

"Oh God, Danny. Hey hey hey, I gotcha. Just stay with me. You're gonna make this. Just a little further. Let me take your weight." Danny coughed again, harder.

"St-stev-ve. I c-can't anymore. Get yourself outta here." Danny whispered weakly.

"Not gonna happen, partner. You're the back-up, remember? Now I need my back-up. I need you to watch my six." Steve replied in denial. Danny shook his head.

"'M s'rry." He collapsed onto Steve and the pair folded awkwardly to the ground, Danny resting in Steve's lap.

"No no no no no. Come on, buddy. Don't do this. We're almost there. I'll…I'll carry you. I'll get you out of here. Just don't give up on me." Steve pleaded.

"No, Steve. P-please. 'M gonna die, but you don' have to. They're comin'. Hold 'em off, you run."

"Absolutely not. Don't pull this hero bullshit on me, Danny! You've got a daughter. And you are NOT going to die, ya hear me?" Steve asserted, pressing his already blood-slicked hand a little harder onto Danny's abdomen in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Take c-care of Gracie f-for me." Danny whispered dazedly.

"No, you'll take care of her yourself!"

"S'too late, babe. Can' do nothin' for me. I'm so s'rry."

"Danny, stop-"

"Jus' go! I got my gun. Get outta here. Lemme go out on my own terms. Be there for Grace." Danny begged.

"Danny, I can't! Don't you realize that without you, I'm nobody? I'm nothing but a soldier. You make me remember to open myself up and if you die, that all goes away!"

"Please, Steve. For me."

"No." Steve said firmly. Working quickly, he ripped off another section of his shirt and stuffed it into the wound to slow the blood flow, causing Danny to twist and moan in pain. "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you die. Not today, Danno." Danny was as pale as a corpse now, his skin just as cold. Weak tremors wracked his body as shock from blood loss took hold. Careful to jostle his partner as little as possible, Steve looped Danny's arm around his shoulder and stood. He set off at a brisk walk just as they heard the approaching voices of the men searching for them. Danny had passed out on the move upward, but Steve was more than capable of taking his weight. Setting his jaw, he carried his partner off at a swift pace, praying Chin and Kono were nearby. As he all but ran, he could feel Danny's pulse slowing and his breaths becoming more ragged and shallow. His thoughts were a continuous prayer, begging the Lord to spare Danny. At one point, he offered his own life in exchange. The voices were closer now, the footsteps running. Their pursuers were no doubt following the heavy blood trail. The warehouse was a maze of tunnels that Steve had no idea how to navigate. He just took a chance and hoped he was headed towards reinforcements. Just as the men behind him were closing in, he heard the familiar click of Chin's shotgun and a moment later, bullets rained down upon the men who had hunted them for the last hour. Shots rang out from Chin's large gun and Kono's small, but powerful handgun. Within a matter of minutes, all the assailants lay dead on the ground.

"Chin!" Steve called hoarsely. "Get an ambulance here right now! Danny's hit bad!" As gently as he could, Steve lowered Danny to the ground, applying pressure once more to the bleeding hole in his brother's stomach. "Jesus, Danny, come on! Don't you quit on me!" But it seemed to be as Danny feared. Danny was dying and there was not a damn thing Steve could do.

"Steve, the ambulance is delayed! Mudslide blocked the road. They're sending a helo, but it'll take at least twenty minutes." Chin called. He and Kono made it to his side a minute later, gasping at the grizzly sight before them. Thinking fast, Steve formed a plan.

"He doesn't have twenty. Chin, help me get him to the truck. Kono, there's a back way from here into Honolulu. I'll tell you where to go, you just drive." Nodding, they worked with great speed to get Danny into the truck. Danny's head lay on Chin's lap his midsection lay on Steve's. The Commander rattled off quick directions to Kono while still keeping pressure on the wound. Chin held two fingers to Danny's throat, making certain his friend's heart still beat. As they neared the hospital, Chin readjusted his fingers, trying to find the pulse that had just simply _stopped_.

"Steve, his heart's stopped!" Steve's eye's went wide with fear, but he was a man of action and Danny was depending on him. As well as he could in the confines of the small vehicle, Steve began chest compressions.

"Don't do this to me, buddy. Come on! Danny!" Kono skidded to a halt at the emergency entrance and they were met by hospital staff immediately. Danny was whisked away to the OR and a doctor shouted something about a Code Blue. The sharp and bitter tang of fear hung thick in the air. Steve, exhausted and dripping blood all over the pristine, white floors, collapsed into the hard plastic chair to await news on the fate of his partner.

H

5

0

Steve's head lolled against his chest as he snored softly. He had dozed off nearly an hour ago after what seemed like another endless day without his partner's voice. His back was a mess from sleeping in the chair beside Danny's bed, but it was well worth it in his opinion. He had to be near Danny. He had been so damn close to losing him. Danny had been so close to just giving up. Steve had to be there. He needed to make sure Danny was still fighting. The ICU room showed evidence of what happened when the detective's large personality wasn't there to fill the void in his loved one's lives. Empty Styrofoam cups filled the waste basket and one full of cold coffee sat near Steve. The table was crowded with at least a hundred cards, many of them hand made by Grace. Rachel had stopped by with Danny's beloved Bible, which now rested beneath his pillow. In short, they had all dug in for the long haul, waiting for Danny to return to them. Even with all of their efforts to make sure Danny didn't wake up alone, when he at last fluttered open his eyes, there was not a soul to see it. The only other person in the room was Steve, but he was asleep. Though he understood none of why he was in the hospital, once Danny got a look at his pale, unshaven, and obviously exhausted partner, he decided to let the man rest a little while longer. Instead, he put his detective skills to work. ICU, that much was obvious. _Great_, he thought. _How bad did I hurt myself this time?_ To answer that question, he consulted the dull ache in his stomach. Bullet wound? Definitely possible. He quickly surmised that he had been here a while, judging by the overwhelming display of cards, flowers, and assorted items from the gift shop. He gingerly tried to sit up a bit more, but the movement brought on a fresh wave of pain, causing him to groan. Instantly, Steve was rubbing his eyes open and sitting up straighter.

"D'nny?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

"Hey." Danny replied, his voice a hoarse whisper. This seemed to pull Steve into awareness and suddenly a huge smile split his face.

"Hey, Danno. Here, you sound awful." Steve said, offering Danny and ice chip from a cup on the bed side table. Danny accepted it and savored the icy coolness it brought.

"Thanks."

"Of course, buddy." Steve's smile was one that Danny had never seen before. It was equal parts relief, joy, sorrow, and exhaustion.

"What happened? How long I been here?" Danny asked quickly, his brain working overtime.

"Shhh, take it easy. You're not strong enough to be getting excited like that yet. Do you remember going to that old sugar storage warehouse?" Danny nodded, bits and pieces of that day coming back to him.

"How'd I get hurt?"

"We being chased by the cartel mercenaries and they fired at us. You turned around to return fire and one of their bullets caught you in the stomach." As Steve talked, Danny remembered with sickening clarity everything from the moment the bullet tore through his flesh up until he passed out.

"Thought I told you to leave me."

"And I thought you knew that I'd never do that."

"Thank you, Steve. It was stupid and irresponsible, but thank you."

"Just…don't _ever_ do this again. We lost you on the way here and we almost didn't get you back. You've been out for nearly three weeks and it's been driving us all crazy."

"I'm sorry. You guys didn't have to stick around, you know."

"Of course we did. You'd do the same for any one of us. We're a family. This is how we work. One of us falls, we all work together to pick them right back up."

"Wow. That was pretty impressive actually." Steve laughed.

"I've been talking to Gracie a lot. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"You looked after her?"

"That's my job, isn't it? I'm Uncle Steve."

"Thanks, brother."

"Always, Danno."

**A little longer and a little darker than the others, but I liked it. You know, I keep writing sad scenes, but I swear I've never been happier! Weird, huh?**


	6. Birthday Surprises

**So…this time tomorrow I'll have a husband. That's pretty awesome. Not like I've been waiting to marry him since I was sixteen or anything. Anyway, Mitch and I are bored (I know, how can we bored the day before our wedding?) so we decided to make another little one shot here. This one goes out to Mari217. You may have seen her stories out there. They're well worth a read, by the way. She's also my wonderful editor and Jersey consultant for my story Jersey Style. She asked me to write a happy family one shot, so this is the least I can do for her. Hope this works for you, Mari!**

"So, have you learned your lesson, Danny?" Steve asked, barely suppressing a chuckle.

"Oh, shut up, would ya?" Danny grouched lightheartedly. Steve raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Hey, I'm just saying, if it were me that had done that, you would be lecturing me about safety and all that. I just want to savor the moment while I can."

"Wow, even on my birthday? That's cold, babe." Steve laughed.

"Alright, Danno. Well, let's go inside and get a few beers. I betcha there's a nice game on to watch tonight. We can still make today good."

"Nah, I kinda think the whole breaking my arm while tackling a suspect thing ruined the day. However, a beer and a game does sound nice."

"See? It's not all bad." Steve said, offering Danny a smile as they got out of the Camaro and made their way up Steve's drive way.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, buddy." Steve flashed him a goofy grim before opening his front door. They stepped into the dark house and the lights immediately flicked on.

"Surprise!" Came the shouts of many voices. Friends and family were jumping out from behind furniture and walls, arms up and wearing huge smiles.

"What? Steve, what is going on?" Danny asked, hardly believing what he was seeing.

"Well, while you were getting your arm fixed up, I had a little time to throw a little something together. You like it?"

"Like it?" Danny asked as he stared out at the small crowd gathering Steve's living room. Kono was in the front, holding and elaborately decorated cake. Chin stood next to her with Grace seated on his shoulders. In her hands she held up a sign that said 'Happy Birthday Danno!'. Catherine stood next to the tall stack presents on the table and Duke was smiling holding out a beer for him. Danny took in the decorations as well, noticing the look of satisfaction on Max and Charlie's faces as they fist bumped to a job well done. In the corner stood Kamekona, holding up one of his platters of garlic shrimp. At the look on Danny's face when he spotted him, he winked and smiled. Other friends had showed up as well, such as the bartender at Side Street and other cops Danny had made friends with. "Like it?" Danny asked again. "I love it. This is perfect. Thank you all so much." Danny was at a loss for words that this many people had shown up, especially on such short notice. Chin smiled and lowered Grace to floor and she ran to her father. Danny picked her up in a one armed hug and held her close.

"Happy birthday, Danno." She whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too, Monkey." Danny whispered back. She giggled.

"I'll be right back. I gotta go get you your present." Danny smiled and set her down.

"How on earth did you get Rachel to agree to this? I thought Grace was supposed to be with her today because Stan wanted her to come to this dinner with clients. Apparently his only use for her is getting people to sign off on deals simply because she's adorable." Danny said spitefully.

"Well, it turns out Rachel wasn't too happy about Grace not being here for your birthday either. She and Stan had some big fight and when I called her to ask if she would reconsider tonight's arrangements, she agreed."

"Wow…that's awesome. This is incredible, Steven. I don't know how you did it, but thank you."

"Of course, buddy. Now, bring that arm over here. I'm going to be the first one to sign that cast of yours."

"Oh you are, are you? As I recall, when you broke your arm, I was the very last person to sign."

"Well, I saved best for last."  
"Ah, so that's why you're signing now. First is the worst, right?" Danny teased.

"No, I just write big and I wanted to make sure I had room."

"Alright, babe. Where's the Sharpie? 'Cause you know once one person signs, everyone else is going to want to." Steve laughed, then took Danny's arm gently and signed it. When he had finished, he and Danny both inspected his work.

"'Property of Steven J. McGarrett (a.k.a Super SEAL)'" Danny read, then he and Steve burst out laughing. Soon, the others came over to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw the unique signature on Danny's arm, they too succumbed to unstoppable laughter. The marker was passed around and everyone signed. An ice cold beer was slipped into his hand by Duke, who clapped him on the back. Once everyone had signed, including Grace, who drew a small monkey next to her name, they all seated themselves in the living room to watch Danny open his presents.

"This one first!" Grace exclaimed happily, handing Danny a small package wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. "Sorry it's all Santa-ish. It's the only kind Uncle Steve had that didn't say Mele Kalikimaka or have pineapples all over it."

"It's perfect, kiddo."

"You haven't even opened it!" Danny smiled at her, then tore off the paper to reveal a pair of bright yellow socks that said 'Freeze! Five-0!' all over them.

"Do you like them?" Grace asked.

"Of course I do! Where did you find such cool socks?"

"This place in Waikiki makes custom socks!" Danny hugged his daughter tightly.

"Thank you, Monkey. These are the _best_ socks I've ever seen."

"You're welcome, Danno."

"Alright, my turn." Steve said happily, handing Danny a package that was very clearly from him, judging by the fact that the light blue paper was patterned with little guns and grenades. Danny raised and eyebrow, but continued to open the box.

"No way…" Danny said disbelievingly. He pulled the contents of the package out and held them up to get a better look. "Steve, how did you…?"

"Well, I won't lie, it wasn't easy. But, eventually I found this. I figured it was much better than the giant Santa suit of Kamekona's you've been using. There's more, keep going." Danny looked at him quizzically, then dug a small slip of paper out of the bottom of the box.

"What is this?"

"This, Daniel, is a very rare gift here in Hawaii. You see, I found this place that deliver's actual spruce trees to Hawaii and they have gift certificates. So, next year, you can have the Christmas you haven't been able to have since you moved here." Danny smiled even wider and pulled his friend into a tight, one armed hug.

"Thank you, Steve."

"You got it, partner. Now, let's get to these other gifts!" It turned out to be a pretty good haul. He got an expensive bottle of bourbon from Duke, the entire Star Trek series on DVD from Max, a patent-pending phone case that Charlie had designed himself that made his phone nearly indestructible, a Bon Jovi greatest hits CD from Kono, a free year's worth of food from Kamekona, a certificate for a free paint job on the Camaro, which had seen better days, from Catherine, a snazzy new suit from Chin since his favorite one had been ruined during their previous case, and a box of homemade goodies from his family in Jersey. After the presents had all been opened, they dug into the delectable cake Kono had made herself.

"Mmmm…my God, woman. Where did you learn to cook?" Danny asked around a mouthful of taste bud Nirvana. She smiled and winked.

"I can't go giving away all my secrets, brah. Now who wants seconds?" Everyone raised their hand. They ended the night by going into the backyard and watching a spectacular display of Max and Charlie's homemade fireworks. As they all oohed and awed, Danny leaned over to Steve.

"I wanted to thank you again for this. I would've just spent tonight alone at my place."

"We can't have that, can we? It was no trouble, Danny. And after the day you had, I figured you'd need a little pick me up."

"Thanks, brother."

"You got it man. Now, I gotta go because I believe Fong just set my chair on fire." Steve said and dashed off towards the small blaze. Danny stood back and watched, chuckling a little as he did so. It was strange how he had though moving here would ruin his life when, in truth, it gave him a better one filled with friendship, joy, and laughter. Maybe it wasn't such a bad birthday after all.

**The End! Well, that's my last update (probably. If Mitch and I get bored tonight, we might add another one shot, but that's a big ****_if_****.) before the wedding. Not sure how long it will until I'm back, but it won't be an insanely long amount of time. I promise! You can always go back and reread my other stories! I do have like thirty something now! Have a good weekend!**


	7. Sick Day

**So, I know I said I wasn't going to update for a while, but it was a _long_ plane ride to Australia and Mitch and I write together when we're bored. Ok, the wedding. Oh wow…where do I start? The best way to describe the wedding is probably the most incredible, beautiful, emotional, love-affirming…You know what? There really isn't a way to accurately describe just how wonderful it was. It's like I'm complete now. We've always been connected, but to be joined together with Mitch like that? I'm pretty sure I'm the happiest person in the world! As he slid the ring on my finger, he whispered just loud enough so only I could hear "Forever and ever." And now, we are SO ready to start a family! Here's a little selection from his vows: "I can't wait to spend every day of the rest of my life and everything after that with you. I don't care if you're old and grey, as long you're by my side. It's always been us against the world and that's never going to change" … "Soon we'll be starting the next chapter in our lives and I couldn't be more ready. I was ready the day we spilled coffee all over each other. Soon, we'll be parents to how ever many children we're blessed with and I can't wait to watch our little miracles grow up and call us mommy and daddy." Gosh, I love him. There's a lot more, but I should get to the story. If you want details, feel free to PM me!**

**Summary: Steve and Danny get sick and spend the day together being whiny like most men are when they catch a cold. However, the relaxing day they had hoped for doesn't go according to plan.**

"Pass the tissues, wouldya?" Danny sniffed.

"Here ya go. You got the DayQuil over there?" Danny nodded and passed over the bottle of vile orange liquid. Steve uncapped the bottle and poured out the correct dosage. Taking an experimental sniff, he cringed and tossed it back, his face scrunching up in disgust as he did so. "Urrrhggh. Stuff's nasty." Steve complained.

"What'd you expect? A Mai Tai?" Danny quipped, blowing his nose loudly.

"Something besides poison. I'm gonna complain to Vick's about there's flavor."

"I'll drink to that." Danny said, raising his mug of tea. Steve raised his own and the two clinked glasses.

"Cheers." Steve mumbled sleepily.

"Cheers." Danny replied as he readjusted his pillow. "I dunno 'bout you, babe, but I'm sick of bein' sick."

"Agreed. This is why I will never have children. They are little disease factories."

"Watch it. That's my little disease factory you're talking about." Danny warned jokingly.

"Well, she is the one that gave us the plague."

"You're such a drama queen, Steven. This was going around HPD long before it hit Grace. We probably picked it up there."

"Whatever. It probably originated from some kid somewhere."

"Cynic." Danny muttered.

"Blind dreamer." Steve retorted.

"Mmmph, let it go. We're sick, let's just suck it up and deal with it." Danny said, breaking off into a painful coughing fit.

"Cough drop?" Danny nodded and accepted the small lozenge.

"I am so ready for this to be over."

"What happened to sucking it up and dealing with it?" Steve questioned gloomily.

"Shut up."

"Jeez…touchy." They fell silent for a moment, wallowing in their own misery. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and, even with their plugged up ears, they could tell it was the sound of Steve's window being shattered. Clumsily, they both reached for the guns on their hips when they realized that they weren't there. They shared a look, then silently disentangled themselves from their blankets and moved toward the sound. In the kitchen, they found two impossibly large men.

"You sure this is the house?" the first one asked.

"Yeah. Where do you think he hid it? Boss wants that evidence real bad." That was enough for Steve and Danny. With what little energy they had, they launched themselves at the two men. Using his smaller size, Danny jumped on the back of his guy and wrapped a muscular arm around his neck, effectively knocking the man out within seconds. Steve however, was having a little more trouble. His balance was off as a result of the cold so almost none of his blows connected. Once Danny was certain his guy was out, he rushed over to help Steve. Using the same move as before, he jumped on the man's back and held his head still while Steve punched his lights out. When at last the second intruder had fallen, Steve and Danny sunk to floor, exhausted and panting heavily. After a moment, Steve fished out his phone and dialed Chin's number.

"_Steve, what are you doing? I thought you and Danny were supposed to be resting._" Chin asked without preamble.

"Change of plans. Can you come over here?"

"_What's wrong? Why are you so out of breath?_" Chin questioned with concern.

"Couple o' guys broke into my house. Danny and I took 'em out, but we need ya to come pick 'em up."

"_God, Danny's right. You're a danger magnet. How in the hell do you turn a sick day into this?_"

"It's a talent. You comin' or what?"

"_Yeah, we're on our way. You guys need an ambulance?_"

"I'm good. Danno, you good?"

"Oh, just swell." Danny said, coughing harshly.

"We'll be fine. But, do you think you could pick up some medicine at the store on your way? DayQuil tastes nasty." Steve could almost hear Chin shaking his head.

"_Alright, Kono will swing by and grab some and meet us at your place. Be there soon. Don't do anything stupid, okay?_"

"Me? Stupid?" Steve asked in mock incredulity. Chin hung up. "Hmmpff." Steve huffed indignantly.

"He comin'?" Danny asked tiredly.

"Yeah, they'll be here soon."

"Next sick day I vote we spend at my place. Lot less nut jobs tryin' to break in."

"Oh no. There won't be another sick day."

"So Super SEAL is impervious to germs now? You gonna will 'em away with your ESP?"

"Yes." Steve said matter-of-factly. Danny shook his head.

"Well, don't come cryin' to me when you get a cold."

"I won't because I won't get a cold."

"Animal."

"Sticks and stones, Danny. Sticks and stones." Danny snorted derisively. They waited in companionable, if exhausted, silence for another few minutes until a knock on the door sounded.

"Steve? Danny?" Chin's voice called.

"S'open." Steve replied. A moment later, Chin, Duke, and Kono, holding a box of grape flavored cold medicine, entered the kitchen.

"You boys have certainly been busy." Duke mused. "Alright, well I'll get this filth off your hands." He handcuffed the two men who were just starting to come around, then waved two officers in who dragged the thugs out to the waiting squad cars. "Enjoy your sick day." Duke said with a smile. Once he had left, Chin and Kono squatted down in front of their teammates.

"Any particular reason you're sitting on the floor?" Chin asked.

"It's not so bad." Danny said hoarsely.

"Couch's too far 'way." Steve replied honestly. Chin and Kono both laughed.

"Alright, let's get you two to the living room. Come on, we'll help." Kono said kindly. Soon, they were settled back under their blankets. Chin put on reruns of some sixties cop show where the main character had some incredible hair. Kono went to the kitchen and made them soup. They accepted the bowls of heavenly smelling liquid with grateful smiles. When they finally dozed off, Chin shut of the TV and Kono cleared away the dishes. Leaving the medicine within easy reach, they left for the night, planning to show up bright and early tomorrow to make sure they didn't do anything else stupid.

**There ya go! Silly little thing, but Mitch and I had fun!**


	8. Two Pair

**Hey guys! Sorry I've kind of neglected this one. Oh, and don't worry, I've finished my next chapter for Jersey Style and have sent it off to my Jersey consultant so I should be able to update that soon. I was going to update Maka'u tonight, but with the day I've been having, I just didn't want to have to come up with something that fits into a plot. For starters, this morning at THREE AM the smoke alarms both decided to run out of battery and start that horrible beeping. Of course, we had no batteries so we had to go to the store and get some. When we got back, Mitch and I had to endure the psycho lady down the streets ranting about how we have no decency roaring around in our car (a Honda Pilot. I don't really think they roar, do they?) at such an indecent hour. Finally, we silenced the alarms and went back to bed. Then, later today at the grocery store parking lot, our aforementioned Pilot was hit by a car with a sticker saying "WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER", so now our only car for the moment is in the shop and we have to use my friend's ancient station wagon (which most definitely roars, so Miss Zaminski, a.k.a. psycho down the street, should be thrilled). To top it all off, we thought we'd have a nice relaxing dinner. We put the fish in the oven at 375 degrees. After fifteen minutes, the pyrex dish exploded in our oven. So now, we have one less pyrex dish, an oven to clean, glass to pick up, and crappy Chinese take-out. Sorry, guys. I needed to vent.**

**Summary: Steve manages to find trouble on what was supposed to be a relaxing camping trip with his partner. He and Danny must use everything they've got if they're going to make it out alive.**

"'Trust me' he says. 'It'll be fun' he says. _This_, Steven, is most definitely _not fun_! How the hell did you manage to find trouble on a freaking camping trip?" Danny panted as he tore through the thick underbrush. Steve, who was sprinting beside him shot him and incredulous look.

"Seriously? You're gonna blame this on me?"

"You're damn right I am. You didn't have to antagonize the friggin' cult leader! By the way, what the hell did you say to piss off Nero so much?"

"I just told him that human sacrifice was illegal and that he needed to come with me right now so I could book him." Steve said as if the answer was obvious.

"You're kidding me…really, Steve?"

"What?"

"You just had to go investigate, didn't you? You just had to have a word with Nero, didn't you? Why couldn't we just leave it alone and call it in LATER, huh? We could've just ignored the crazy cult! Maybe then we wouldn't be running for our lives. I don't know about you, but I'm not too thrilled with the idea of being the next sacrificial tribute to Tiberius the God of Whatever!"

"I thought they had someone back there! I thought they were going to make a sacrifice!" Steve defended.

"Well now they are. Us, Steven!" They fell silent as they increased their speed. Behind them they could hear the harsh barking of their dogs and the elated shouts of their pursuers. Their sides were burning and their breath came in short gasps. Normally running like this wouldn't have been a problem for either of them, but running on the squishy mud and fighting through the brush required a lot of effort. Relief washed over them when the obstructions began to lessen and soon there was a decent trail to follow. Their relief, however, was short lived as the sound of rushing water reached their ears. They shared a brief wide-eyed look before stumbling to a halt at the edge of the steep cliff overlooking the fast moving stream. Nero's cult was closing in on them from all sides.

"Shit." Steve cursed, then glanced at Danny. "We gotta jump, man. It's that or get caught."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with."

"On three?"

"Why does everything we do involve counting to three?" Danny asked as he cast his eyes heavenward.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. One…"

"Two…" Steve said.

"Three!" They shouted together, linking arms as they leapt off the edge. The fall itself wasn't so bad, but the landing was a different story. They hit the water with a loud smack that forced the air out of the air from their lungs. The current pulled them under and soon they were stuck beneath the surface being pummeled against rocks. Finally, Danny was able to hook an arm around one of the fallen trees. Once he had a grip on the trunk, he reached out with his other arm and snagged Steve's shirt. The water pulled at Steve's body and the resulting jerk dislocated Danny's arm. He bit his lip to keep from screaming and soon blood ran down his chin. After a few seconds, he started to haul himself and his unconscious partner to the sandy bank a few feet away. Once on shore, Danny collapsed onto his back, instantly sitting up as hit put pressure on his injured arm. Still heaving in deep, ragged breaths, Danny leaned over and gave Steve a rough shake with his good arm.

"C'mon sunshine, up and at 'em." He rasped. Steve didn't so much as twitch. "Steve, open your eyes." Again, there was no response. Danny swore when he saw the blue tinge to Steve's lips. A moment later he was able to confirm a pulse, but no breathing. Not knowing what else to do, Danny leaned over and gave Steve two breaths before bringing the fist of his left arm down hard on the man's chest. "Come on, babe." He pleaded. "Breathe. I can't do CPR, so you're gonna have to help me out here." A moment later, Steve's chest convulsed and he began to expel what seemed like an ocean from his lungs. With some effort, Danny was able to roll him onto his side so he wouldn't choke. "That's it, Steve. Just like that. Deep breaths, okay?" Danny murmured soothingly as he rubbed large circle on Steve's back. Eventually, Steve's coughs subsided and he was able to breathe somewhat normally.

"Ngghhh…God…startin' t' see…why you hate…Hawaii." He panted. Danny chuckled softly.

"How ya feelin', Super SEAL?"

"Oh, just peachy, Danno." Steve replied sarcastically as he maneuvered himself into a sitting position. "Whoa, Danno. Buddy…you're arm doesn't look so good. Actually, you don't look good period. You alright?" Steve asked, starting towards his friend. Danny waved him off.

"'m good. Dislocated my shoulder, but I'll be fine." Steve arched an eyebrow.

"Looks like you did more than that. Your heads bleeding."

"Is it? Must've hit it on a rock." Danny uttered distractedly. Frowning, Steve gently took Danny's face in his hands.

"You might have a concussion. Look at me so I can see your eyes." Steve instructed. Slowly, hazy blue eyes found Steve's, though they were not entirely focused. "Damn it, Danny. You are concussed."

"Figures…nothing we can do though, right? Just make sure I don't fall asleep." Steve laughed.

"I think I'd notice if you fell asleep, Chatty Kathy."

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. Just get over here and pop my arm back into place, would ya?"

"I don't know, Danny. This really should be done by a doctor. I could cause nerve damage." Steve said worriedly.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't let you near my arm with a ten foot pole, but seeing as we are currently on the run from a delusional pack of psycho killers, I don't think we want me slowing us down. I know from experience that until my arm is set, any little movement's gonna hurt like hell." Indecision clouded Steve's face, but logic won.

"Alright." He agreed reluctantly. "Stand up and I'll see what I can do." They got slowly to their feet, Steve hissing when he put pressure on his left ankle.

"What now?" Danny asked.

"Think I rolled my ankle. Hurts, but I think I can walk on it. Here, bring me that shoulder." Danny positioned his right side in front of Steve.

"This is gonna hurt, buddy." He warned.

"Just do it." Steve nodded.

"Sorry." Strong hands forced the joint back into its socket with a sickening pop. A blinding flash of white hot pain overwhelmed Danny's senses for a moment and he crumpled to the ground. Once again, he was biting his lip to keep from screaming and giving away their position. After a minute, Steve's voice started to reach him through the pain.

"I'm sorry, Danny. You're okay. I gotcha." Steve soothed. When Danny had composed himself, Steve helped him to his feet.

"Ugh. Well that hurt like a bitch."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Think I might've pinched a nerve. Like I said, a doctor really should've done that."

"Well, it's over now. We got plan to get outta here?"

"Make it back to camp, I guess. It this is the stream I think it is, then if we fallow it that way for about, oh…four miles? We'll be within a mile of our campsite. By now Chin and Kono should know something's wrong. If they're not there already, I've got SAT phone in my bag.

"Sounds good." Danny agreed. They set off down the bank, but it soon became clear the Steve could barely walk. Sighing, Danny looped an arm around his partner's waist.

"What's with the hug, Danno? Not that I'm complaining, but people _will _talk." Steve joked.

"Oh look, a comedian. Lean on me, you idiot. At this rate, we won't reach camp 'til we're elderly." Steve furrowed his brows.

"But, your shoulder-"

"I'll be fine." Although he knew it would hurt Danny, he knew that if they didn't keep going, the people hunting them would catch up eventually. Thanking Danny, he threw his arm around Danny and they hobble on, albeit awkwardly, but at a much faster pace. They set a manageable rhythm and paused every once in a while to sip form the stream's clean waters. For the next four miles they stumbled along through the sand, opting for silence to conserve their energy and conceal their location. After a few hours, they came across a natural stairway of sorts that would lead out of the ravine they had been walking in. Slowly and carefully, they made their way up the steep hill. Once they had reached the top, they were both out of breath and dripping sweat. Suddenly, Steve straightened up.

"Danny, look!" It took a moment, but Danny could finally make out the red gravel of the trail.

"Thank God." He croaked. Once they were on the flat and well-defined path, they had a much easier go of it. Soon, they had made it to their camp. Unfortunately, Chin and Kono weren't there, but Steve fished out the sat phone while Danny collapsed against a tree. And sipped a bottle of water from the cooler. After a few rings, Kono's voice answered Steve's call.

"_Steve?_" she asked before the man could speak.

"Yeah, Kono. Hey-"

"_Chin, I've got Steve on the line! You guys okay? You weren't back on schedule and you weren't answering the phone. We thought something had happened._"

"Something did happen. I…I kind of pissed off a cult and well, now they're hunting us down." Steve finished sheepishly. Danny smiled in approval when Steve admitted to his misdeeds.

"_You WHAT?_" Kono yelled. "_God, you two are never allowed to leave the office ever again, you hear? Are you hurt at all?_"

"Yeah. I'm fine-" Danny scowled and stalked over, snatching the phone out of Steve's hand.

"Hey!" he protested, but Danny sat down next to him.

"Hey Kono. Don't listen to him. Super SEAL here needed CPR earlier after he nearly drowned. He's also got a busted up ankle." Steve took the phone back.

"I'm fine now. Danny, on the other hand, has a concussion and I had to pop his shoulder back into place. His fingers are so swollen right now I doubt he can even bend them." They could almost hear Kono shake her head.

"_You two are quite the pair. Alright, well just hold on. Chin and I were already on our way so we should be there soon. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?_" She hung up, leaving the partner's in silence. Steve's chest ached with the force of Danny's lifesaving blows and he was still coughing. Danny's shoulder was incredibly painful and his head was nearly as bad. The exertion of the day started to catch up to him and his eyes began to drift shut.

"Hey. Hey, Danny, stay awake. Concussion, remember?" Steve said, gently shaking Danny back to awareness.

"My shoulder hurts…just wanna lay down." Steve frowned for a moment.

"Okay, I'll help you over to the cot, but you have to agree to keep talking to me so you don't fall asleep, alright?" Danny nodded. Steve got Danny shakily to his feet and helped him hobble over to their cots. Before they could reach them, however, Danny's face drained of color and he doubled over, losing his breakfast in the dirt. Steve held him up as best he could until the retching tapered off. When Danny could stand again, they made it the last few feet and Steve gently set him on the cot.

"Hang on a sec, Danny." Steve said, returning a moment later with a few ice packs from the cooler and a couple bottle of water. Being as careful as he could, Steve laid the ice around Danny's shoulder and on his hand. Then, he held Danny's head up so he could take in some water.

"Small sips, Danno. We don't want a repeat of before, do we?" Danny shook his head.

"No thank you." Once he had managed half the bottle, Steve sat back and began to drink from his own. To keep Danny from drifting off, the involved him in animated conversations about Danny's favorite topics: Football, Hawaii's flaws, New Jersey, and Grace. They passed another hour in conversation before suddenly, out of nowhere the cult members leapt out of the bushes. Within minutes, he and Danny were tied around a tree. Nero stepped out, smiling with his rotted teeth.

"Tiberius has given us all the luck today, it seems. It's only fitting then, that you two be our tributes for tonight's ritual." Steve spit on Nero's shoe while Danny struggled just to remain conscious. Nero gestured towards Steve and Danny and soon their wood pile, along with an assortment of other flammable objects, were tossed around them in a circle. Still smiling, Nero struck a match and let it fall into the pile at their feet. Flames slowly engulfed the smaller sticks and the larger logs began to catch as well. The cult members were chanting something, but Steve was far too concerned with not burning to death to care what was being said. Just as one of burning logs was about to fall on his leg, shots rang out all around them and soon the Tiberius's followers began to fall. Nero was the last to drop and he died with a smile on his face.

"Chin? Kono?" Steve croaked through the smoke. A moment later, their bucket of wash water was poured over the flames, extinguishing them. When the smoke cleared, Chin shook his head.

"Damn you two are a mess."

H

5

0

The steady beep of the heart monitor greeted Danny as he made his way back to consciousness. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was in a hospital. This didn't surprise him based on his injuries Though he remembered little after Chin and Kono's arrival, he assumed that the hospital was the next logical stop. Danny's stirring alerted Steve to his partner's return to wakefulness and large grin split his face.

"Hey, buddy. How ya feeling?"

"Tired, but better. Wha' happened after the cousins showed up?"

"You passed out as soon as we got you free. A helo came in a picked us up and brought us here. You've been out since yesterday. Doc said you've got nasty concussion and your shoulder's gonna be painful for a while. But he did say it would heal alright." Steve explained.

"Well that's good. You okay?"

"Me? Pshh, I'm fine. Have bit of a chest cold, but that'll go away. I got a brace and crutches for my ankle, too." Danny laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm trying to picture you using those crutches."

"I said I got crutches, not that I'd use 'em."

"Typical." Danny said, smiling at his insane partner. In the back of his mind he wondered how someone so completely contrary to him had become his best friend, his brother even. But then, he figured it was best not to question it. Did he enjoy these little misadventures? Hell no. But they only served to strengthen their bond.

**Ending was a bit flat, but I think it was okay. Well, I'm tired now and I have to work tomorrow so, goodnight all. Sorry for the lack of updates last week. I'll try to be better this week! **


	9. More Than A Thousand Words

**Hello! Another night of snuggling in bed with Mitch and our puppy writing little stories. We spent the day building a snowman with our neighbor kids and having an epic snowball fight. We're tired, but it's a good kind of tired. Anyway, here's another little one-shot for ya'll. Enjoy!**

**Summary: Danny gets stuck with a fevered, delirious Steve and learns a few things about his partner.**

"Dad…" Danny winced at the single, broken syllable that came out as a whisper.

"No, Steve. It's me. Danny, remember?"

"I'm sorry…s'my fault." Steve mumbled. The hurt in Steve's voice was like a knife in Danny's heart.

"It's okay. He doesn't blame you. It's not your fault, babe." Danny soothed, gently pushing sweaty hair off Steve's forehead.

"Sorry…so sorry…don't…don't kill her." Steve's ramblings had become disjointed and nearly impossible to follow. It was a miracle that Danny had been able to get Steveto the cave they were now hidden in. It had all started as an all-hands-on-deck search party for some missing hikers in the forest. Teams of two from all branches of law enforcement and emergency response organizations on the island were dispatched to find the three college students. Steve and Danny had been unlucky enough to find the bodies of the three young men. Before they could radio in that they had found the hikers, all of whom had arrows in their hearts, they too had been attacked. Men and women dressed in traditional Hawaiian clothing burst into the clearing wielding knives and bows. Danny had read about these tribes roaming the forests. People who had become fed up with modern life and had created their own band of natives that mimicked the old Hawaiian peoples. Eventually, they had out run the band of angry hunters. Panting, they had both slouched against a tree. It was then that Steve realized that one of the knives had caught him in the shoulder. Blood ran down his chest and arm. It wasn't deep, but the wound itself wasn't what concerned him.

"Danny…" Steve slurred once he had caught his breath.

"Yeah?"

"Think…think they poisoned those b-blades."

"How do you know? Wait…shit. Steve, did they cut you?" Danny asked, already checking him over. Quickly enough, he found the ragged slash. "Damn it." He muttered. By now, Steve was pale and shaking. Whatever toxin the knife had been coated in was taking hold fast. "Come on, we've gotta keep moving. They'll be around soon and we need somewhere to hide." Danny said, pulling the big man to his feet. As soon as he was upright, Steve began to sway.

"Whoa… I don't feel so good." He said as he fell sideways. Danny caught him and hooked one of Steve's muscular arms around his shoulder.

"Stay with me, buddy. Come on." Danny was worried at just how fast Steve seemed to be deteriorating.

"I…I think I'm gonna-" And that was as far as Steve got before he doubled over, losing his breakfast in the dirt. It took all of Danny's strength to keep Steve standing. Once Steve had finished, Danny all but dragged him onward until he found a small cave. Carefully, he laid Steve down, then ran out to cover their tracks. When he returned, Steve was curled in on himself, shivering violently. An hour passed like this, bringing Steve to his current, incoherent state.

"Sorry…so sorry…don't…don't kill her." He repeated, softer this time.

"Kill who, Steve?" Danny asked.

"No…Jenna, please. D-don't touch her." Danny's heart clenched. Of course he'd be remembering that.

"Shh, Steve. It's okay. Jenna's safe." Danny lied. He hated doing it, but he hated the pain in Steve's voice even more.

"She's safe? Safe…safe…Danno! He's not safe! Gotta…gotta help 'im. Lemme go!" steve struggled weakly.

"Hey, calm down, buddy. I'm right here. I'm safe, you're safe, everything's fine."

"D-danno?" Steve asked, sounding more like a scared child than the formidable former SEAL he was.

"That's right, Steve. I'm here. You're okay." Glazed eyes met Danny's, then fluttered close as Steve fell back into a restless sleep. Danny laid the back of his hand against Steve's forehead. Frowning, he noted that Steve' fever had risen a few degrees. Their radio had been lost in the fight, so it was up to search and rescue to find them now. Danny only hoped that Steve could hold on that long. Steve slept for a few more minutes before waking again.

"McGarrett to Dawson…McGarrett to Dawson, do you read me? Dawson!" Steve yelled, caught in another violent hallucination. Danny took Steve's face in his hands and tapped his partner's cheeks gently.

"Come back, Steve. Come on, it's me. Danny." Steve's eyes flew around the room and saw things that existed only in his mind.

"No…No, don't you touch him! Don't you touch him!" Steve shouted angrily. Try as he might, there was nothing Danny could do to bring Steve out of this. Suddenly, Steve flinched and his eyes widened. "No! You son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" Danny was taken aback by the anger and grief in his friend's words. Steve lay still for a moment and Danny thought the hallucination had passed. Then suddenly, Steve began jerking and twisting, as if being beaten by some unseen force. Grunts and moans of pain escaped his cracked lips. There was another minute of silence before Steve let out a scream that turned Danny's blood to ice.

"G-go t' h-hell…no…won't talk…won't talk." With a sickening rush of clarity, Danny realized what was going on. He didn't know much about Steve's time in the SEALs as most of it was classified and the other part was just too hard to talk about. Still, Danny could tell that this was from Steve's time with the Navy. From the sound of it, Steve was being tortured.

"I won't! C-can't make me…won't do it." Steve rambled. Danny couldn't take just sitting there. As gently as he could, he pulled Steve's upper body onto his lap and ran his fingers through Steve's hair in an effort to bring him some measure of comfort.

"Shh, it's alright Steve. You're doing so good. Just hang in there." Danny said softly. Though Steve was still shivering, his body radiated an unnatural heat.

"Have to…can't talk. Killed Sam…they killed him. I won't talk." Steve whispered brokenly.

"I know. I know you won't. You're strong, Steve. You can do this."

"I can do this…won't talk…can do this." Abruptly, Steve went rigid in his arms and tensed, as if in awful pain. He screamed again, shouting that he would never talk. When the screaming stopped, Steve fell limp in his arms, breathing hard, eyes closed. Steve gasped for breath for several minutes. Danny prayed that the rescue team would find them soon. He had been listening for them carefully. Steve's small voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Dad?" Steve asked for the second time that day. Danny felt his heart break a little.

"No, Steve. I'm Danny. Danno, remember?"

"Dad…he's gone." Ragged sobs shook Steve's body.

"Shhh, hey, I gotcha man. Hang in there." Danny gently rocked Steve. Were the man lucid, he knew Steve would be recoiling from the attention and contact, but Danny knew that right, Steve needed comfort and he'd be damned if he was going to deny him that. Slowly, Steve drifted back off to sleep, mumbling incoherently every once in a while. Danny could tell that Steve was weakening. Another ten minutes passed, then Danny heard voices calling outside of the cave.

"Danny? Steve?" _Chin. _

"In here!" Danny yelled. Soon, Chin and Kono had cleared away the brush Danny had placed over the entrance to the cave and were kneeling beside him.

"What happened?" Kono asked, alarmed by the sight before her.

"We found the bodies the students. They were killed by one of those native tribes out here. They found us and tried to kill us too. One of 'em got Steve with a poisoned blade before we got away. He's been pretty sick. In and out of consciousness, high fever, hallucinating. We need to get him a hospital." Kono nodded and radioed for an evac chopper.

"We were worried when you two didn't check in on schedule, so we traced your route. Good thing we found you when we did." Chin said, placing a hand on Steve's forehead. He pulled his hand back when he felt just how hot the skin was. He glance worriedly at Danny.

"You don't know the half of it Chin." Was all Danny said, but Chin understood. It was no secret that there were a lot of dark places in Steve's head and he could tell that Danny had just glimpsed a few of them.

The chopper came and picked them up, but Steve remained unconscious through it all. Danny wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. They were taken to the nearest hospital, where Danny was released immediately, being only slightly dehydrated. Steve was admitted as the doctors worked to purge his system of the dangerous toxin in his blood. It was a full forty-eight hours before Steve woke up and another day before he was lucid. Danny was seated beside his friend's bed. He couldn't take his eyes off of Steve as he wondered just how much cruelty and death his partner had known. How much could a man take? Danny didn't know. Steve had definitely had more than his share. A groan from the bed drew him out of his thoughts as Steve began to regain consciousness.

"D-danny?" he mumbled groggily, slowly forcing his eyes open. Danny smiled.

"Yeah. You with me now, babe?"

"Where'd I go?" Steve asked.

"It's a long story. How do you feel?"

"Tired and sore. What happened? Last I remember we were…we were looking for those hikers, weren't we?" Danny nodded.

"We found them." Something in Danny's tone was off.

"They were dead, weren't they?" Danny nodded again.

"Yeah. Killed by one of those weird wandering tribes." He said bitterly.

"There's more. What happened to me?" Steve asked, worried about how upset Danny seemed to be. Danny was good at hiding his emotions, but Steve could always read Danny's tone and something was definitely wrong. Danny blew out a breath, then told Steve about the attack and about how he had been poisoned.

"You were really bad off. I was honestly worried I was gonna lose you there for a while. Your fever was 105 by the time they got you here. You were shaking so much and delirious. Whatever they used on that knife is some nasty stuff." They were silent a moment while Steve digested this. During that time, he also studied his partner.

"What else aren't you telling me, Danny? Are Chin and Kono alright?"

"No, Chin and Kono are fine."

"What is it then?" Danny sighed.

"Things got pretty bad in there. Like I said, you were delirious and hallucinating. You weren't exactly yourself. You kind of…remembered some stuff."

"Stuff? Like what?" Steve was worried now. What had he said that had Danny so rattled.

"Like Jenna, your dad, someone named Dawson." Steve froze.

"I…I told you about that?"

"Not really. More like you relived it right there in my arms." Now Steve knew exactly what had Danny so upset.

"Shit, I'm sorry man. You didn't need to hear that."

"It's fine, Steve. Honestly I'm just glad you're okay." Danny paused for a beat, then asked "What happened over there, Steve?" Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Me and this new guy, Sam Dawson, we were checking out this old bunker when we got taken. They killed Sam right away and kept me for a week, trying to pump me for information."

"But you didn't talk." Steve shook his head.

"Sam had died to keep what we knew secret. I had to stay strong for him." Steve voice broke a little on the last word. Danny understood. He had watched his partner, Grace, died to keep their secrets. He knew words were meaningless at this point. Without a word, he took Steve's hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The simple gesture said more than a thousand words ever could have.

**Well, there ya go! Hope you guys liked that. I'll try to update Jersey Style tomorrow. No promises! Sorry for any typos, we're too tired to proofread. Night ya'll :)**


	10. Powa Maka Moana

**Hmmm, just saw the promo for Friday's episode. Spoilers for those who want to be surprised. Seriously? They're having Danny's parents divorce and by the looks of it, his mom is moving to Hawaii? Not sure how I feel about that. It also looked a bit like they were making his mom out to be some vapid ditz. Not to mention that it also looks like another episode centered around the NONEXISTANT McGarrett/Grover bromance. Honestly, I don't mind Grover much, just the fact that the show seems intent on replacing Danno with him. Well, those are just Mitch and I's thoughts anyway. Not sure if we'll be tuning in next season.**

**Summary: Danny gets taken by pirates and held hostage to be used as leverage against Five-0. Title taken from 1x17, which also happened to be about pirates.**

The rolling motion of the boat jostled Danny and he groaned. Feeling sick, he closed his eyes. God, his head hurt. What happened? Oh, right…friggin' pirates. Unlike the jolly caricatures commonly portrayed, these pirates were ruthless mercenaries. Another wave of nausea rolled over him in time with the rocking of the boat. Dimly, he was aware of shouting, but he was too out of it to understand the words. The pain in his head was rising steadily and he wanted nothing more than to block out the loud voices. As he tuned out the noise, he felt himself drifting off. In the back of his mind a voice that sounded suspiciously like Steve's told him to stay awake. Sighing, Danny obeyed the annoying voice, knowing that if he fell asleep with this concussion, he'd probably never wake up. In an effort to rouse himself, he blinked open his unfocused eyes, only to slam them shut a moment later when the bright light around him sent spikes through his brain. Trying to breathe through the white hot pain, Danny heaved in gasps of salty air. Just when he had himself back under control, and shadow fell over him and a hand roughly grabbed his chin. Taking a chance that the blinding light would be blocked, Danny dazedly opened his eyes and found himself face to face with his captor. Despite the dizziness and pain demanding his attention, Danny couldn't help but smirk at the bruises on the man's face. Sure he had been taken eventually, but Danny had put up one hell of a fight. He was pleased to note the damage that one unarmed and outnumbered Jersey detective could dish out.

"Jack, rough him up a bit more. I want to make McGarrett desperate." The man holding his face said over his shoulder. "Don't kill him, though. Not yet." The man released his savage grip and left him at the mercy of Jack, who happened to be a hulking man whose muscles had to be a product of steroids. After that, time passed in a blur of pain and confusion. Blow after blow struck him, causing bones to break and blood to spill over the deck of the boat. When at last the hits stopped coming, Danny sagged back against the railing to which he was tied. Feebly, he clung to consciousness as the world faded in and out. He could hear a voice now, and this time he could make out the words.

"Good, that oughta make him sweat. Rumor has it McGarrett and Williams are like brothers." There was a few minutes of silence, then another voice spoke.

"Camera's ready. Three…two…one." A soft beep, then the man from before began.

"For weeks, you have ignored our requests, Commander. You've left us with no other option. We didn't want it to come to this, but you forced our hand. So, I'm going to ask you one final time. Release the _Nautilus_ and her crew. You have twelve hours. If you fail to comply with our demands, you partner will suffer." The voice was silent for a moment and even Danny's concussed mind could tell that the camera was doing a close up on him. Mustering up all his remaining strength, Danny opened his eyes.

"Don' do it, 'teve. Don' give 'em an'thing." Danny slurred past swollen lips. A brutal kick to the ribs sent him into a painful bought of coughing that sprayed blood into the air.

"Twelve hours, Commander. The choice is yours." There was another soft beep, signaling the end of the video.

"Alright, boss. I'll go send this to McGarrett." That was the last thing Danny heard before everything faded out.

The next thing he was aware of was a wet hand gently tapping his cheeks.

"Danny! Danny, come man, open your eyes." Funny, that sounded like Steve's voice. A drop of water landed on his forehead and he scrunched his eyes shut tighter in annoyance. He just wanted to sleep.

"Steve, how is he?" a woman's voice asked. Kono? Deciding that he should probably try to figure out what was going on, he blearily flickered his eyes open. It was night now, the boat illuminated only by the moon. It took some time for his eyes to focus, but eventually a hazy image formed. Above him, Steve's sopping wet and frantically concerned face hovered.

"Danny? You with me, pal?" Steve asked, voice dripping with worry.

"Where'd I g-go?" Danny managed to ask in a hoarse whisper. Belatedly, Danny realized that Steve was in a wetsuit. "Why wet?" Steve laughed a little.

"I'll explain later, okay Danno? Right now we need to get you off this boat to a hospital."

"P-pirates." Danny mumbled, closing his eyes.

"I know, but we got them. You're safe now. We got them. You just stay awake for me, alright? A med-evac chopper's on its way."

"Mmmpppphhh…" Danny groaned, giving into the pull of darkness around him.

"Hey hey hey, come on. Open your eyes Danny. No sleepin' yet." Steve said, lightly tapping Danny's cheeks.

"So tired."

"I know, Danny. Talk to me. Tell me where you're hurt."

"'m 'urt?"

"Yes, you're hurt. Come on, tell me where so I can help you."

"H-head, I think…ribs maybe."

"Good, you're doing so good, Danno. Just hang on a little longer. I can hear the chopper."

"Don' give 'em anything…" Danny whispered.

"I didn't, man, don't you worry." That was all Danny needed to hear. Despite Steve's pleas, Danny allowed himself to close his eyes and let the blackness take him.

H

5

0

"I dunno. He took a helluva beating, so it's no surprise that he's still out of it."

"I know, it's just…I hate seeing him so still. It's not right."

"I agree. I don't like it when he gets quiet. When he passed out on the boat I honestly thought we were gonna lose him."

"Yeah, the way his pulse and breathing just dropped scared me half to death." Familiar voices floated through the haze of unconsciousness, pulling Danny gently to the surface. With awareness, came pain. Nothing terrible, just a dull ache…everywhere, really. After a while, his brain provided the names that went with the voices ad he smiled.

"How's a guy 'sposed to get any rest 'round here with all you guys talking the whole time."

"Danny!"

"Danny!"

"Danno!" three voiced exclaimed simultaneously. Steve's haggard, but smiling face was the first to greet him.

"Hey man, how ya feelin'?" he asked, smiling in his usual goofy manner.

"Okay, I guess. How long've I been out?"

"Four days, brah. You done scaring us now?" Chin said, sitting on the edge of Danny's bed.

"Yeah, you really need to cut back on the near death experiences." Kono added.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to." Danny apologized genuinely.

"It's alright, Danny. It's not your fault. I mean, come on. Pirates. What're ya gonna do?" Steve offered with a shrug.

"Pirates." Danny muttered bitterly.

"Pirates." Chin and Kono agreed in unison.

"So…you gonna explain why you were all wet?" Danny asked Steve. They all laughed.

"I'm surprised you remembered that. You barely coherent enough to talk. I was wet because I had to swim to the boat they were holding you on. It was the only way to get close enough without them noticing. Once I had taken out the leader, Chin and Kono came up on their own boat and we took out the rest. They are currently awaiting trial with their friends from the _Nautilus_."

"Good. S'where they belong." Danny said, happy to know that they couldn't hurt anyone anymore. There was a moment of silence, then Steve spoke, softer than before.

"I'm glad you're okay, Danny. When I saw that video, I…let's just say I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my mind."

"Sorry, babe. You shouldn't have had to see it. You've seen enough already."

"Come's with the job. If I don't do it, who will?"

"You're not in this alone, ya know." Danny remarked. "How many times do we have to pound this into your thick skull. We are a team. Your burdens, our burdens. Got it?" Steve smiled at Danny.

"Thanks, Danno."

**Well, there goes another little one shot for ya'll. I'll update my other fics as soon as I have time :)**


	11. Burn

**Hey guys! I promise I'll update my other stories as soon as I can, but in the meantime, here's a little one shot Mitch and I wrote. It's got a happy ending, though it is a little angsty to start out, which is odd considering we had such a wonderful day. We were building a crib together today, which is fun in and of itself, but when we were done, we got in the most ridiculous saw dust fight ever! I have wood shavings in places I never knew existed, but I gotta say, it was a great stress reliever. I've been with Mitch since I was sixteen, yet he never ceases to make me laugh. I hope you all found something to laugh about today.**

**Summary: While chasing a suspect, Steve gets a face full of a new and dangerous drug.**

"Danny, go left and cut him off!" Steve shouted as the two men sprinted after their latest suspect, a dealer of incredibly dangerous new drug called Puhi. If smoked, the fumes of Puhi were said to give the most powerful high out there. Danny shot his partner an incredulous look.

"Are you serious? I'm not leaving you alone with that maniac!"

"I'll be fine, just go! We need to cut him off before he gets somewhere he can hide!" Steve replied a little breathlessly. They had been running at an impossibly fast pace for several minutes. Throwing one last glance back at Steve, Danny veered left to come around and take the dealer from the other side. With one last burst of energy, Steve increased his speed and began rapidly gaining on the suspect. However, he slowed as he turned the corner. Somewhere along the way, the dealer, Cortez, had vanished. Steve staggered to a halt, eyes scanning carefully for Cortez. Out of nowhere, came an angry, almost inhuman roar. Then a cloud of white powder exploded over Steve, coating his face, chest and arms with a light coating of dust. It was like fire, white hot on his skin. He screamed in agony as he felt it burn his lungs and his eyes and every other part of him exposed to the drug. He didn't notice Cortez slip away. His skin was melting away now, he was sure. His screams died off into pained wheezing and he writhed around on the asphalt, begging for the blackness to take him.

"Steve!" the voice sounded far away, but he would recognize it anywhere. _Danny_. Danny was here. Danny would help him. "Steve, oh God. Hold on, babe, just a second." _No, please_, he thought. _Danny, help me…._

H

5

0

Something was wrong. Steve and Cortez should have been there by now. Danny was making his way quickly down the alley towards the path Steve would have taken when he heard it. It was the most awful scream of pain Danny had ever heard and there was no mistaking whose scream it was. Running for all he was worth, Danny quickly came upon a scene he knew he'd never scrub from his memory.

"Steve!" he shouted. As he neared the two men, he saw Cortez preparing to run. Without a second thought, Danny put a bullet in the man's chest, not caring if the suspect lived or died. He stuttered to a halt and fell to his knees next to Steve's violently thrashing body. The pleading in Steve's eyes sent a knife through his heart.

"Steve, oh God. Hold on, babe, just a second." Danny had seen this drug in action before. He knew what happened to those who touched Puhi. Thinking quickly, grabbed one of the trash bins in the alley that had filled with rain after several heavy showers.

"Alright, here we go. This will make it better, I promise." Danny assured Steve with a shaky voice. He dumped the water over Steve, washing away the fine powder. Once that had been done, he donned the pair of latex gloves he always kept in his pocket and began removing Steve's shirt. Throwing the sopping wet polo aside, Danny pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance, simultaneously checking Steve's pulse. Despite its racing beat, his pulse was weak and stuttering. Steve' breathing was shallow and ragged. It looked as though each breath sent a fresh wave of unbearable pain through him. A weak hand found Danny's wrist and grasped it tightly.

"D-Danny…" Steve gasped.

"Shhh, hey, it's okay. I'm right here, Steve. I'm right here. Try not to talk, alright? Help's comin', so just hang in there." Danny soothed, ripping off a piece of his own shirt and wiping away the last traces of Puhi from Steve's skin. Steve's eyes were now shut tight, but Danny knew that they must be red and painful.

"Gh-gggg-god…D-danny…hurtsss…" Steve whimpered. Danny winced at the pain in his friend's voice as he gently smoothed back hair from his forehead. Steve's fingers were clenched into fists and his arms jerked with involuntary spasms.

"I know, buddy, I know. You'll be okay, I promise. Would I lie to you?"

"N-n-no…aaarrrgggh! Please…Danny, _p-please_…" Steve begged. For what, Danny did not know.

"The ambulance is almost here, so just hang in there, alright? I promise the pain is gonna stop. I promise." Danny said with a shaky voice that held little confidence. Both he and Steve knew what happened to the other victims of this drug. It came in stages. First came the painful burning. Then came the spasm, which were already starting. Lastly, came paralysis of the vital organs, which had thus far always resulted in death. If help didn't arrive soon, Danny knew Steve wouldn't make it. Strong as the man was, there were just some things even Steve could not survive. Steve was coughing uncontrollably now, fighting to draw in even a minute breath.

"Easy, Steve. Take it easy. Slowly, ok? In and out…in and out. Just like that. You're doing great." Steve's grip on Danny's wrist tightened, but it was not from the pain. Without warning, Steve began convulsing violently, rigid hands clenched painfully around Danny's wrist. With some effort, Danny released his wrist and turned Steve gently on his side just as Steve began vomiting. It was fortunate, at least, that the ambulance arrived at that minute. Instantly, the medics descended upon their newest patients. Cortez was quickly pronounced dead and for once, Danny found that he cared very little.

"What do we got?" one of the paramedics tending to Steve asked.

"He got a bunch of that new drug, Puhi, thrown at him. When I found him, it was all over his face, chest, and arms. I washed it off as best I could, but I think some still got into his system. I also think he inhaled some." The medics nodded as she rolled Steve back onto his back. The seizure had tapered off, leaving him disturbingly limp. As the medics worked, Danny became aware of the fact that Steve was growing paler and his breathing was slowing.

"Damn it." muttered one of the medics. "It looks like he's going into stage three. Jake, go ahead and give him Epinephrine. I want to keep his heart going." The younger man, Jake, ran to ambulance and came back with a syringe full of clear liquid, which he administered immediately. An oxygen mask was fixed over Steve's face. With gentle hands, they lifted Steve onto the gurney and quickly loaded him into the back of the ambulance. Without hesitation, Danny climbed in next to them as the doors slammed shut and the ambulance roared to life. They had only been driving a minute when Steve's body started to seize again. The older medic turned Steve on his side again and called to his partner over his shoulder.

"Jake, what do we have for anticonvulsants?"

"I'd use Lorazepam. It didn't seem to interact with Puhi in the last few victims." The older man nodded and accepted another syringe. After he administered the medication, the convulsions died down. It seemed like they had been driving for hours when they reached the hospital at last. A doctor Danny vaguely recognized from one of his many trips to the emergency room met them at the doors. After the paramedics quickly explained the situation, Steve was whisked away down the long hallway. Danny was politely pushed aside and a nurse handed him a stack of papers that Danny, as Steve's medical proxy, would have to fill out. Running on autopilot, he completed the forms and called Chin and Kono. With fear in their hearts, the three on them sat down together to wait.

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Hours passed before a tired, but smiling doctor approached them.

"Excuse me, are you all here for Steven McGarrett?" the man asked.

"Yes." Danny replied quickly. "How is he? Did he make it?" The man smiled and nodded.

"Steve's a strong man. Against the odds, your friend pulled through." They all let out a collective sigh of relief. "I'm Dr. Sagan, I've been treating Steve since he arrived. I believe I recognize you. Sir," he said, turning to Danny. "didn't I once set your ribs about, oh, six months ago?" Sagan asked. Danny chuckled softly.

"I think so, Doc. So how is he?"

"He's not great, but he'll recover, given time. He's resting at the moment. We were able to counteract the drug this time. A few minutes later, and we would be having a very different conversation. His skin will be painful for a few days and he'll have some residual muscle cramps and spasms two weeks or so. For now though, they'll be pretty painful. Breathing is also going to be an issue. He did inhale some of the drug and as a result, his whole respiratory system is inflamed. We're not going to put him on a ventilator as of right now, but he'll need to refrain from any excitement that would cause him to breathe heavier. The swelling should go down soon, but we need to be careful. As for his eyes, it doesn't look like much got in. They'll be sore for a while, but that shouldn't last more than a day or two." They all nodded, taking in the news.

"Thank you." Kono said after a minute. Sagan smiled.

"It was no trouble, my dear. Now, I assume you'd all like to see your fearless leader? He's in for a rough time and I reckon he could use you three."

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His skin was burning. Was he on fire? _Danny_, he called, or tried to at least. No sound escaped his lips. Why would no one help him?

"Danny…" he succeeded in whispering. A strong, reassuring hand gripped his own.

"Right here, babe. How ya feelin'?" The soothing tones of Danny's Jersey accent calmed him a little.

"F-fire." Steve stuttered, hoping Danny would understand. Danny said nothing, but soon enough, he felt cool rush of painkillers flowing through his veins, dousing the flames to embers. A moment later, a cool, damp cloth was gently wiped over his forehead. It was heaven on his skin and he never realized how he leaned into it. He heard Danny's soft laugh, the one that always accompanied by one of his gentle smiles.

"Better?"

"Mmmmhhhhmmmmm…"

"You just let me know if gets bad again, alright?"

"'kay. You okay?" Steve mumbled sleepily.

"Me? I'm just fine. You on the other hand, my friend, have just shaved at least ten years off of my life."

"S-sorry Danno." Steve apologized genuinely. Danny sighed.

"S'alright. You just scared me, you know? Had us all pretty worried there for a while."

"Thank you…came back for me."

"'Course I came back for you. I'll always come back for you, just like I know you'll always come back for me."

"Promise?" Steve asked, the drugs bringing out a sort of child-like innocence.

"We're partners, Steve. Like it or not, you're stuck with me, pal. I got your back." Danny assured him in the tone he usually reserved for Grace.

"And I got yours." Steve replied in a soft whisper. Danny gave Steve' hand a quick squeeze.

"I know, Steve. Get some rest, we'll be here when you wake up."

**Ok, one quick rant about last night's episode. Not Cool. No real bromance, Danny's mom annoyed the hell out of me, and too much Grover! There, I'm done.**


	12. Ghosts Of The Past

**This is gonna be a kind of short one shot. Mitch and I were re-watching the beginning of this season to see where it went wrong and we believe it's sometime in the eight episode (Nick Jonas the computer hacker takes over a plane and Grover and Steve go from enemies to BFFs). Anyway, there's a scene in there that really struck us and we wanted to write a little bit about it.**

**Summary: Grover thought he was just twitchy and trigger happy, but there's always more to the story with Steve. Sometimes, only a partner can see that.**

"You know there are a lotta good cops out there that started out doing menial tasks. They learn to walk a beat. They learn to interact with people. We don't all just get handed a unit to run." Grover snarked.

"Yeah, really sorry I missed that part. I was a little busy fighting the Taliban." Steve countered. Despite the calmness of his tone, it hurt to know that Grover saw him as nothing more than an irresponsible soldier given a team and a high-ranking position just because of his military background. Steve wasn't vain or arrogant, but he took pride in what he did, back there and here in Hawaii. Grover's words damaged his seemingly impervious armor.

The sound of bullets ricocheting off metal sent shock waves to his very core. As the leader of Five-0, Steve had been in hundreds of shoot-outs since returning to Hawaii, but this…these sounds were different. It had been years since he had heard the sounds of an active warzone. The memories rose up and immediately he found himself flattening against the wall and drawing his gun.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" He whispered, urging Grover to do the same. Regardless of his dislike for the man, his protective instincts kicked in. Grover stopped, and when he looked back, he met Steve's anxious expression with an incredulous roll of the eyes.

"What are you Pavlov's dog or something? That's _Halo_. My son plays it all the time." Shaking his head, Grover continued on. Heart still pounding with the adrenaline spike, Steve followed. In the back of his mind, memories of a time long past returned unbidden. His eyes sent a silent question to Grover, although the man's back was already turned. Surely a S.W.A.T. Commander could understand PTSD?

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The next time he heard those sounds, he was just as unprepared as the first and his reaction was the same. He and Danny had finally gotten a lock on their latest suspect. The man was by no means dangerous, but he was a runner who possessed valuable information. He was hiding out in an arcade near the back. Slipping in the employee entrance, he and Danny hoped to nab him quickly. As soon as they were within earshot, the terrible sounds of gunfire and fervent shouts of soldiers assaulted them. His gun was in his hand before he could even fully process what he had heard and he was shoving Danny against the wall. A moment later, with a rush of embarrassment, he realized that once again, it was only a game. Trying to play it off as if it were nothing, he released Danny and re-holstered his gun. Danny looked at him quizzically for a fraction of a second before continuing on.

"According to Kono, Kekoa is at the first machine to the left once we get out into the main room." That was it. No snark, no concerned comment, nothing. Just Danny treating Steve as he usually would. Although his nerves were still jangling, he felt better knowing it wouldn't affect anything between them.

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At the end of the day, they had used Kekoa's information and they had gotten the bad guy. The case had wrapped up nicely and they were all heading out for the night. Still, something was bothering Steve. Despite Danny's willingness to let the events in the arcade slide, Steve knew he owed him an explanation. With two beers in hand, he headed over to Danny's office and knocked on the door. Danny glanced up from the report he was signing off on and Steve held up the beer in offering. Smiling, Danny finished his loopy signature and filed the report away. Accepting the beer, he turned to face Steve.

"S'up, babe? You got a bit of a face."

"I…Danny, I'm sorry about earlier."

"Sorry? For what?" Danny looked truly confused.

"I'm sorry for spazzing out at some video game noise, shoving you against a wall, and, as you would put it, going all Rambo." Steve muttered sheepishly.

"Why on Earth would you be sorry for that? For one, it's nowhere near the nuttiest thing you've ever done and it didn't affect the case. Besides," he added, his voice gentler now, "it's a normal response for someone who's seen what you've seen and done what you've done. Why should you ever apologize for that?"

"I…but…what if I'd hurt someone? What if it _had_ affected the case? Hell, what if I'd hurt you? It's been almost four years now and I can't even handle a stupid video game. Maybe Grover was right…" Danny sat up straighter and set his beer down a little harder than necessary.

"What do you mean? What did Grover say? Is he giving you shit for this? 'Cause if he is-" Danny began angrily. He had never liked Grover, but for the man to be that insensitive…

"It's not like that. Remember when you were in Jersey visiting your dad and he bought that Corvette for his birthday?" Danny nodded. "Well, the governor, in an effort to make us play nice, made Grover and I serve a warrant together on that hacker kid I was telling you about. Anyway, before we even got in the door, I hear the kid's video game and I kind of freaked out."

"And what did Grover say?" Danny pressed.

"Well, he of course knew what it was and…"

"And he just didn't understand." Danny finished. "Steve, don't you ever, _ever_, let a civilian who has never been over there, never had to live what you did, make you feel strange or crazy for reacting like that. He doesn't get it. I can't pretend that I understand what you're going through, but I can see how it's affected you. And as for all the what-ifs, forget 'em. All of those mean nothing because you _didn't_. You didn't hurt anyone and it didn't affect the case. So what if for a millisecond you're a little on edge? You're a damn sight better than I am when my claustrophobia's acting up. "

"Yeah, but you can't help that."

"And neither can you. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not something bad that you're doing. It is an actual health problem. Screw Grover and anyone else who says otherwise. You're one of the best cops out there and you gotta remember that." They were silent for a while, their beers sitting untouched.

"Thank you." Steve said quietly. Smiling, and taking a sip from his beer, Danny stood up.

"You got it, babe. Come on, Chin and Kono are waiting at Side street and as I recall, drinks are on you. And don't you dare say you forgot your wallet cause I just pickpocketed you." Steve laughed. It was good to know that Danny, no matter what they faced together, no matter what came their way, would always be there. He would always be that one constant in ever-changing world he lived in.

**You guys like it? I don't hate Grover, but I do hate that he has completely replaced Danny in the bromance and is effectively killing the show. Anyway, there's Mitch and I's thoughts! **


	13. Protectors

**Since Mitch and I are in no way tired, which is weird since we were out super late last night and had to get up disgustingly early this morning, we've decided to write another little one shot thing. We got our inspiration for this story from the beginning of last night's episode, but it'll have its own plot.**

**Summary: A break in at the Williams house tests the strength of all involved.**

Danny's eyes flew open as the sound of wood splintering reached his ears. Within seconds, he was on his feet, pulling his gun silently out of the drawer of his nightstand and creeping towards the hall. As he passed Grace's room, he debated about warning her, but he decided that the sound would put her in more danger. Without a sound, he continued on toward the living room. He inwardly cursed himself for having left his cell in the car. He had just rounded the corner when he was bowled over by a tremendous force. He fell to the floor and the gun flew out of his hand, landing a few feet away. The collision with the hard wood knocked the air out of his lungs and disoriented him, giving his attacker advantage. With almost inhuman strength, he was lifted up and slammed against the wall. The back of his head smashed against a framed photo of him and Grace, leaving blood on the shattered glass. The man threw Danny down again, this time nearly within reach of the gun. As he began to inch toward it, a swish of brown hair and two wide, fearful eyes caught his attention. Grace stood horror-struck in the hallway. Before the intruder had a chance to notice her, Danny sent her a pleading look as he gestured for her to run. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she ducked out of sight a moment later.

The gun was only an inch away now, but Danny didn't get a chance to grab it. He was thrown bodily across the room, his body rolling across the coffee table and smacking into the bookcase. His head struck a corner and he felt his vision black out for a second. The intruder seemed to be preoccupied with shoving all of Danny's valuables into a large sack, so he completely ignored the fact that Danny was slowly making his way to his feet. Even dazed and concussed, Danny could tell that the man was on something. Meth or LSD maybe. His eyes cast around for a weapon, but all they found was an ugly snow globe given to him his sister when he first moved to Hawaii. Taking the object in his hand, he charged at the man and broke the globe over his skull. The man barely stumbled. Instead, he turned right around and took Danny's throat in a vice-like grip, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall. He felt himself growing weak as his oxygen supply was cut off. His hands grappled ineffectually at the fingers closed around his neck. In a last ditch attempt to free himself, he kicked wildly until he felt his knee connect with something soft and the man's grip loosen slightly. He fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. He climbed weakly to his feet once again, ready to face his attacker. The man was still distracted, so Danny dove for the gun. At the same time, so did the intruder. Their hands met the hard metal at the same time and they rolled around, fighting desperately for the weapon. Suddenly, there was an incredibly loud bang, and then…silence.

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Steve smiled at Chin as they clinked their glasses and each took a sip of their beers. It was a beautiful night. The stars were bright and a soft breeze stirred the leaves above their heads.

"So where's Danny? I thought he was coming." Chin asked. It was tradition that when they finished a major case, they would all meet at Steve's for drinks. Kono had had to bail when Denning asked her to speak at a forensic technology conference on the mainland. Her flight had left several hours ago.

"He was, but Rachel had some last minute schedule change and he ended up with Grace for the night."

"Ah, and Danny would never pass up an opportunity to be with her." Chin said, smiling as he thought of how strong his friend's bond with his daughter was.

"Exactly. Speaking of Grace," Steve said as his phone started ringing and he glanced at the caller ID, "that's her now."

"Maybe she wants Uncle Steve there for another fashion show." Chin said with a laugh. Steve glared at him playfully.

"Hey Gracie." He answered.

"_Uncle Steve!_" her voice cried out in a whisper from the other end. Steve could hear the fear in her voice.

"Grace? Baby, what's wrong?" Chin stiffened and shot him a questioning look. In response, Steve put the call on speaker.

"_Someone's here, in the house! He and Danno are fighting. He's…oh my God…he's gonna kill Danno!_" Steve's heart clenched as he and Chin began running for the truck.

"Alright, we're on our way, Grace. We'll be there soon. Can you tell me where you are?" Steve asked as he slid into the passenger seat and checked his gun.

"_I'm in my closet. Danno told me to run, but I was too scared to leave the house!_" It was obvious now that she was crying.

"Hey, hey it's okay, honey. You did good. You just stay right there, okay?"

"_I just heard glass breaking. Wait…I can't hear anything anymore. Uncle Steve, I can't hear anything! What if Danno's dead?" _

"Shhh, it's alright. Remember when I told you that your father was one tough man? He'll be okay."

"_Promise?_" she asked. Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't guarantee that Danny would make it through unscathed, but he couldn't be entirely truthful either.

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep Danno safe. We're almost there Gracie, just hold on."

"_Okay. I can hear fighting again. It's like they're banging on the walls. I think they're-" _the rest of her sentence was cut off by the deafening crack of a gunshot. Steve's blood turned to ice and his stomach dropped. Chin pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

"Grace? Grace!"

"_I can't hear anything! Please, you have to hurry!_"

"Thirty seconds, Grace. We'll be there real soon. Just stay where you are and we'll come get you, okay?"

"_Please…Danno…you can't let him die!"_

"I won't baby, I promise. I promise I won't let him." The car screeched to a halt in front of Danny's driveway. "Alright, we're here. Stay where you are, ok?" Steve hung up and drew his weapon. He and Chin shared a dark look when they noticed the front door was cracked and barely on its hinges. The entered the house and the sight that greeted them was one of utter destruction. Nearly all the furniture was broken. Shards of glass littered the floor and smears of blood decorated the walls. In the dim light, Steve's eyes found a lone figure sprawled on the floor just as a crash from behind the house caught there attention. Chin nodded and took off after the sound and Steve rushed toward the body.

"Danny!" he yelled, quickly flipping on a light switch so he could assess his partner's condition. His heart sped up when he saw a rapidly growing scarlet stain spreading across Danny's chest. As he knelt down, he heard a gunshot and a moment later. Chin came sprinting back in.

"He's dead. Addict trying to…oh my God." Chin muttered when he caught sight of the blood.

"Call for an ambulance, then go get Grace. Do not let her see this, whatever you do." Chin nodded, then ran to Grace's room. Setting his gun down, Steve's finger's found Danny's throat and as he took Danny's pulse, he was alarmed to see the multitude of bruises forming around his friend's neck. When he at last felt a weak pulse beneath his fingers, he breathed out a sigh of relief. A second later, he confirmed that Danny was breathing, albeit barely. Placing one hand over the wound, he tried to ignore the blood welling up between his fingers as he reached for the blanket on the couch. After balling it up, he pressed the blanket down on the large hole. Steve wiped his blood slicked hand on his own shirt, then took Danny's face in his hands and gently tapped his cheeks. He could hear Grace sobbing in the background.

"Come on, Danny. Wake up." After a moment, dull blue eyes fluttered open. "That's it, Danno. Look at me. Right here, buddy. Help's on the way, so you just hold on." Danny opened his mouth and tried to speak, but no words made it past his abused throat.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Try not to talk, alright? Grace is safe. We got the guy who did this. You just hang in there." The knowledge that his daughter was alright seemed to be all Danny was hanging on for. His lids slid shut and he went limp in Steve's arms.

"Hey…hey! Open your eyes, Danny. Open your eyes." Reluctantly, Danny obeyed, blinking slowly as his head lolled from side to side in Steve's hands. "Stay awake. Just look in my eyes and stay with me." But he couldn't. Danny quickly lost his battle and succumbed to unconsciousness. Desperately, Steve applied even more pressure to the wound. A minute passed and soon the paramedics arrived. With practiced efficiency, they stabilized him for transport and to their credit, didn't waste time arguing with Steve as he slid into the back with them.

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The paperwork had been filled out and from now on, there was nothing more Steve could do. It was in God's hands now. God and the doctors who were working tirelessly to save his partner. A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him out of his dark thoughts.

"Steve?" Chin asked, holding out a plastic bag. "Grace is with a nurse right now. I'll bring her in in a few minutes. Those are some clean clothes. You should get cleaned up."

"Thanks Chin. How's she handling all of this?"

"Not well. I think you both need each other right now, but you should probably get rid of the blood first. Steve nodded.

After a while, he emerged from the bathroom feeling cleaner and slightly more human. However, the lack of blood on him did nothing to ease the worry gnawing at him. The moment he entered the waiting room, Grace ran to him. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, rocking her back and forth as she cried. As few tears ran down his own cheeks as well. With Grace's face buried in his chest, they settled in for the long wait.

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"How is he?" Steve asked after Chin had carried a sleeping Grace to another room. He didn't want her hearing the hard truth yet.

"Not good, but we're optimistic. Why don't you have a seat?" the doctor offered. They sat down opposite each other. "The bullet entered the chest cavity, fortunately missing the heart and lungs, but hitting a few arteries. We were able to cauterize them, but he did lose a significant amount of blood. In addition to that, he has a severe concussion, a broken wrist, and heavy bruising pretty much everywhere, though it is mostly centered around his abdomen and lower back. Luckily, we've found no evidence of internal bleeding. It also appears as if he was strangled. His throat was severely bruised and we were forced to intubate when his trachea began to swell shut."

"God…this never should have happened."

"I'm sorry sir, but believe me when I say that Mr. Williams is fighter. He'll be alright, just give him time.

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The time Danny needed to wake up turned out to be an entire week. While it frustrated Danny's loved ones, the doctors were not surprised. Given the level of his injuries, they actually thought that the rest would do him good. When Danny finally did decide to wake, it was late at night. Steve, Chin, and Kono had all been taking shifts and it was Steve's turn. That night, Grace had insisted that she be there as well. The attack had hit her hard and she no longer felt safe unless she was with Danny. At the end of her rope, Rachel had relented and allowed her to spend the night with Steve in Danny's room. Grace had long since nodded off, her small hand clutching Danny's rather large one like a lifeline. Steve was awake, but then again, he hadn't really been sleeping since much over the last week. Every time he tried, his dreams were overrun with image of Danny's pale, still body bleeding out on the floor. Lost in thought, he was surprised when a muffled groan escaped Danny's lips. Taking Danny's free hand in his own, he squeezed it gently.

"Danny? You with me, man?" Danny scrunched his eyes shut tighter and groaned again. "That's it, buddy. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, alright? Squeeze my hand." Surprisingly, Danny complied and after a few seconds, his eyes finally opened. Steve smiled broadly down at him.

"Steve?" Danny asked in a rough whisper.

"Yeah. It's me, pal. Here." Steve held a cup of water with a straw to Danny's mouth and allowed him to take a drink.

"Where am I?" Danny asked groggily.

"You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

"Think so…there was a break in, right?" Steve nodded.

"Yeah. We got the guy. Chin put a bullet in him, so he can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Grace?"

"She's right here. Pretty shaken up by this whole thing, but she'll be okay." Danny smiled. Gently, he stroked her hair, but let her rest. Even in her sleep, she leaned into his touch.

"How long've I been out?"

"A week. Scared the hell out of all of us."

"M'sorrry." Danny mumbled, still trying to fully wake up.

"It's fine. Honestly, I'm just glad you're okay. For a while there, we weren't so sure. If we had been just a couple minutes later, you wouldn't have made it." There was moment of silence as they both contemplated just how close it had been.

"Thank you." Danny said after a while. Steve smiled.

"Always, partner. Just…please, no more near death experiences, okay?"

"Amen to that." They laughed and soon, both men had fallen asleep this time. Danny slept peacefully between the two of them; the one he protected, and the one that protected him.

**Well, that got a little longer than I intended. Oh well, it turned out good I think!** **Sorry if I didn't catch all the spelling or grammar mistakes. We're acutally pretty tired now.**


	14. Trapped

**Hey guys! Thought we'd write you up another one shot, but first, I have something that might brighten your day. Episode 19 has not only been confirmed as a Danny whump episode, but I have a link to the picture to prove it! I can't post links on here, but PM if you want it! I really hope they do a good job with this. *spoilers for those of you who want to be surprised* The picture shows a slightly banged up Steve and a really banged up Danny covered in dust and surrounded by a collapsed interior of a building. Danny looks to be pinned beneath some debris and Steve is holding his hand in an adorably brotherly way. Gosh, I hope they don't screw this up 'cause it looks so good! From what I've heard, Danny gets injured, but they're both fighting for air. **

**Summary: Todays one-shot will be inspired by, but a copy of the plot of 4x19. An explosion at Five-0 headquarters tests the bond between brothers.**

Danny heard a muffled shout from Steve down the hall.

"What?" he yelled back.

"BOMB!" Steve bellowed. Before Danny could register what he was hearing, his world dissolved into fire, noise, and pain.

Steve came to lying on his back and enveloped by a thick cloud of dust. He coughed to clear his airway as he struggled dazedly to his feet. His legs were wobbly, but he managed to stand. Around him, the collapsed remains of the Five-0 offices lay in ruins. It was late at night and the explosion had knocked out all the lights, causing nearly complete darkness. Steve fumbled in his pockets for a moment before locating his phone, which had luckily survived the blast. Unfortunately, he had no service.

"D-Danny?" Steve called out hoarsely. Due to the late hour, only he and Danny still remained in the building. "Danny!" he shouted again, louder this time. Once again, there was no response. Picking his way carefully through the debris, the started towards the main room where Danny would most likely be. When he finally reached the general area where the Smart Table had been, he tried again to call for his partner. "Danny? Come on, answer me! Danno!" Only silence greeted him. He continued on carefully towards where Danny's office had once been, pausing when he heard an audible crunch beneath his boot. He glanced down and his heart clenched painfully. There, shattered on the ground, lay a framed photo of Grace. He was almost to the entrance of Danny's office when he spotted the unmistakable striping of one of Danny's unique pairs of socks. Adrenaline kicking in, he dove towards the foot and after a few moments, located a body. Danny's body. He threw off all of the wreckage he could, but a large slab of heavy concrete still pinned the man to the floor. Abandoning his task, he moved towards Danny's head and felt for a pulse. A weak, unsteady beat stuttered beneath his fingers. Although he could not see Danny, he could feel the sticky wetness of blood on his friend's face. He had set down his phone in order to free Danny, but he took it once again and located his flashlight app. With a ghostly white light illuminating just the small space around the two men, Steve could see Danny more clearly and it made him feel sick. Blood streamed down Danny's face from a large gash at his hairline. The entire left side of his face was one massive bruise. His skin was ashen and damp with cold sweat, standing out in stark contrast to the crimson running in rivulets over his forehead and cheeks. Danny's left side seemed to have taken most of the damage. His left arm was bent at an unnatural angle and his left shoulder was most definitely dislocated. He couldn't see anything below Danny's upper chest except for his feet, but Steve didn't doubt that there would be more damage beneath the concrete.

"Danny?" he asked softly, taking Danny's right hand in his own. "Danny, can you hear me?" With infinite care, he took Danny's battered and dust covered face in his hands and gently tapped his cheeks. "Come on, buddy. Open your eyes." Still, Danny remained stubbornly unconscious. His breathing, Steve noted with alarm, had taken on a shallow, raspy quality that rattled through his chest with each breath. Unsure of what to do next, Steve began to pinch the tips of Danny's fingers. Ideally, he would have rubbed his knuckles into Danny's sternum to wake him, but with the likelihood of broken ribs, Steve decided to play it safe. As luck would have it, Steve's efforts paid off and after a moment, he was rewarded by a weak groan.

"Danny? Danny, open your eyes." Steve coached.

"'teve?" Danny slurred breathlessly as his eyes blinked open. A second later, they fluttered closed again.

"Hey, hey stay awake, Danny. Stay with me. Open your eyes." Reluctantly and with much difficulty, Danny complied. Steve smiled worriedly down at him. "That's it, Danno. Look at me. How do you feel?"

"St-steve…" Danny whispered again. Frowning, Steve took Danny's hand again.

"That's right. I'm Steve. Can you tell me your name?"

"Name…" Danny repeated.

"Yes, your name." Steve confirmed, his concern growing. Distantly, he heard sirens outside. He knew it would be a while before help reached them, but it comforted him to know help had arrived.

"D-dan-ny?" he stuttered uncertainly.

"Good, that's right. Can you tell me how you're doing?" Steve continued as he examined Danny's pupils. They were blown to unnatural sizes and uneven. Danny's inability to focus on anything unnerved him.

"Tired." Danny mumbled, his eyes drifting shut again.

"No. No, Danny you have to stay awake. You have a really serious concussion and I can't have you slipping into a coma on me. Now come on, answer my question. How do you feel? What hurts?"

"Hurts?"

"Mmmhhhmm, come on Danny. Answer me, please!" Steve pleaded. He had never felt so helpless.

"Hurts…head. Head hurtsss…" Danny said, slurring his words even worse.

"Okay, you're doing great. What else?"

"M' chest…can' b-breathe right." Steve nodded.

"Alright, Danny I have an idea. You have a very large slab of concrete resting on your chest. Now I can't lift it off of you, but what I can do is prop it up with another chunk of concrete so it's not crushing you. Do you want me to try that?"

"Yeah." Came Danny's barely audible reply.

"Okay. If I hurt you, let me know and I'll stop right away." Danny simply jerked his head once in a feeble nod, too weak to do anything else. After finding another piece to prop up the one on top of Danny up off of him, Steve carefully maneuvered it underneath the larger slab and succeeded in taking most of the weight off. As soon as the crushing pressure was off of his chest, Danny heaved in several ragged breaths that quickly dissolved into a violent coughing fit.

"Shhh, easy, Danny, easy. Just breathe alright? Nice and slow, just like me."

"Th-thanks-s." Danny gasped as soon as he was able.

"Don't mention it, Danno. How's that feel? How're your legs?" In order to relieve the pressure on Danny's chest, the concrete slab had to be tilted so that Danny's legs took more of the weight.

"Better…better. Legs okay."

"Alright, you just let me know if it starts to get bad. I'm going to check your ribs out now, okay? This is gonna hurt."

"Ready." Steve smiled.

"Of course you are, partner." With as light of a touch as he could, Steve gently palpated Danny's abdomen. As he had suspected, nearly all of the ribs on the left side were broken and a few on the right were definitely cracked. What scared him the most was rigidity near Danny's stomach that indicated internal bleeding.

"How…how m' I doin'?" Danny asked.

"You'll be alright. Don't you worry."

"Such a…bad liar. You gotta face, babe." Danny said with a weak chuckle.

"Do not, and besides, would I lie to you?"

"N-no…"

"Exactly. So if I say you're gonna be alright, you'll be alright."

"Can't control ev'rything…Super SEAL."

"Watch me. We're gonna get out of her and we'll be just fine, so you just hang in there for me alright?" Silence fell for a few minutes and Steve worried that Danny had passed out. "You still with me, Danno?"

"Grace…" Danny whispered softly.

"What about her?"

"Pr-promise me…take care of her."

"No, Danny that's your job."

"Don' think I can do it an'more."

"Yes you can, partner. She's your daughter and she needs you."

"'kay." Danny conceded. A banging sound at the far end of the room reached their ears. A moment later, muffled voices shouted not far away.

"Looks like helps here. Just hang on, I'm gonna go get their attention. Stay awake."

"Yes mother." With as much speed as he could muster, Steve ran towards the noise and began to pound on the walls.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is Commander McGarrett with Five-0!" he yelled. Abruptly, the banging cut out.

"Steve?" A voice called back. It was distorted, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

"Kono! Thank God!"

"This way!" Kono yelled and a moment later the voices were just on the other side of a wall of fallen concrete.

"Steve, are you okay?" Chin's voice asked.

"I'm fine, but Danny's in bad shape. He's pinned underneath some debris and I can't get him out."

"Okay, just hold on. Another half hour and we'll have you two out of there." Kono assured him. "Can he make it that long?"

"I hope so."

"Alright, just give us a shout if things get worse."

"Will do. I gotta get back to him." With that, Steve made his way back to Danny's side.

"Help here?" Danny asked quietly. He was trembling violently now and his skin looked paler if that was even possible.

"Yeah, just another half an hour and we'll be out. You cold?"

"Y-yeah. Feel kinda funny…fluttery." Steve frowned and felt Danny's pulse. It was weaker and more erratic than before.

"Damn it, you're going into shock. Hang on." Steve jogged over to what remained of his office and grabbed the blanket he kept on the couch. When he returned, he secured it around Danny's shoulders. "Better?"

"Mmmmhhhhmmm." After a moment, Danny spoke again in a whisper. "So…so this what dying feels like…"

"Shh, Danny you're not dying."

"Like I said. Bad liar." Danny's eyes fell shut.

"Danny. Danny, hey wake up! No sleeping. Come on, buddy, stay with me. Just a little longer."

"So tired…"

"I know, Danny, I know." Danny didn't reply for a few minutes, but when he did, his response scared Steve.

"Matt?"

"No, Danny. I'm Steve, remember?"

"Steve? Who…Steve?"

"I'm your partner, remember? Your friend. Come on, Danny. Don't do this to me."

"M' partner's Meka…he's dead." It didn't make sense that Danny remembered that but not him.

"I know. I helped you solve that case."

"No…that was Steve."

"Danny, I am Steve."

"You are? No, can't be. He… he…so tired." Danny mumbled disjointedly. This time when his eyes slipped closed, no amount of cajoling could reopen them. Thirty minutes came and went in slow-motion for Steve as he waited anxiously for help to arrive. Danny was barely breathing at all and his skin was as cold as ice. At long last, the search and rescue team broke through the barrier. With quick and precise movements, they lifted the slab off Danny and soon they were both on stretchers being carried down to the waiting ambulance. As Steve began to struggle against the medics to get to Danny, he felt something slip into his arm and his whole world faded away.

H

5

0

As he finally opened his eyes, harsh fluorescent lights assaulted him and he slammed them shut again.

"Crap, hang on." Through his lids, Danny saw the lights dim. "Better?" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Steve's asked.

"Mmmffff." Danny said by way of agreement. Cautiously, he opened his eyes again, pleased to note that the light above was no longer going to burn his retinas. The first thing he focused on was Steve's face with his trademark goofy grin.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Danno."

"Steve. Wussgoinon?" Danny asked. His mouth was dry and out of practice, making words seem foreign on his tongue. Steve seemed to understand as he held a cup with a straw up so Danny could have a drink.

"You're in the hospital. You've been out for close to two weeks now." Steve said quietly.

"What happened?"

"There was an explosion at HQ, remember?"

"What? Oh, wait…yeah, I think I remember."

"You got hurt pretty bad. Your left side got the worst of it. Dislocated shoulder, fractured ulna, six broken ribs, and a pretty serious blow to the head, all on your left side. You also had one helluva concussion. There was actually some swelling. And then there was the internal bleeding, which almost killed you. Twelve hours in surgery, Daniel." Steve summarized.

"Damn…I take you got the guy responsible for the blast?"

"Don't you worry about him." Steve said with obvious venom in his voice. "He's been _dealt with_."

"Is he still alive?" Danny asked skeptically.

"Give me some credit. I'm not some animal, ya know."

"Oh please, you're a Neanderthal animal, is what you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Looks like everything's back to normal, then." Chin said from the doorway, laughing as he and Kono entered.

"Well you're looking a lot better." Kono said as she pecked Danny on the cheek.

"Loads better." Chin agreed.

"Thanks guys. I'm guessing you got me outta there." Danny said gratefully.

"Don't mention it, brah. Just don't ever scare us like that again. Steve was nearly out of his mind with worry when we got you guys."

"Was it really that bad?" Danny asked, turning to Steve. Steve nodded.

"I'm not gonna lie, that was one of the worst things I've ever seen. You'd be lucid one moment and rambling about dying the next or confusing me with Matt or forgetting who I was all together. And then you just passed out on me. So yeah, it was pretty bad."

"I'm sorry, Steve."

"No. I don't wanna hear it. This was in no way your fault. I'm just glad you're alright, Danno."

"Me too, babe."

**Sorry for any spelling mistakes. Once again, this is Mitch proofreading. Hipster and I wrote this together, but she's out helping our little neighbor girl find her lost doll. It just snowed so Emily's doll is buried somewhere in her yard and she absolutely loves my wife (her babysitter), so of course, being the sweet, incredible person she is, she's out there helping Emily. Anyway, as always we hope you liked it! Don't let us forget. Some of you posted reviews on our story Jersey Style saying you wanted a one shot with our Italian OCs Niccolo and Theodora, so help us remember to write one for you!**


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